The Kent Family
by perpetualpathology
Summary: Tom gets Sam a dog for her birthday so that she has someone to run with in the mornings. But when both Sam and the dog fall pregnant, hormones are running high in the household. And will the child have a smooth upbringing? Or will there be more bumps along the way?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys :) I know it's been a while since I've published anything but I've been focussing on my exams, and now they're almost over so I decided to start writing again! I've got quite a few ideas for this fic so I think it's gonna be a long multi-chapter fic. I will try my upmost to avoid publishing anything with typos or mistakes but sometimes, I'm afraid they happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the first chapter of '_The Kent Family_'!**

* * *

**Monday 25th August 2014**

"What do you want to do for your birthday then?" Tom asked curiously as he drove his wife home after a long, tiring day at work. It was Sam's birthday on Friday, and she would be turning 29 years old.

"What do you mean?" Sam queried as she pulled her hair band out and let her thick hair fall down over her shoulders.

"Well do you want to get everyone in the ED to go to the pub and have a few drinks? Or we could go to the cinema, bowling, a restaurant..." Tom listed.

"I've gotta be honest, I'd be happy with having a movie night." Sam admitted - the couple's movie nights often occurred around once a fortnight where they would spend the evening snuggled up on the sofa, watching a couple of DVDs and they would order in a takeaway to save cooking.

"Okay, got any preferences on the movies?"

"Um..."

"C'mon, I'll treat you. Any movie you want." He smiled.

"How about... '_Captain Phillips_' and... Oh what was that movie I saw the advert for? Um... Oh, it's called '_All is Lost_'." Sam suggested.

"Yep. If that's what the birthday girl wants, that's what she gets." Tom said childishly.

"You do realise that I'm not turning 10 right?" Sam retorted and Tom pulled a face to mock her.

"By the way, because your birthday is on Friday and we've got work, you won't get your main present until Saturday morning." Tom stated.

"Which would be...?" Sam queried cheekily.

"It's a surprise."

"Can I have a hint?"

"No, I'm not giving anything away." Tom said smugly.

"Is it... Expensive?" Sam asked.

"Not telling."

"Is it big or small?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Does it make noises?"

"Sam, I'm _not_ telling you!" Tom laughed as he parked on the curb of the ground floor apartment that they lived in.

"Fine." Sam sulked as she grabbed her handbag and took off her seatbelt.

"Although, I think you can guess what one of your smaller presents is." He teased. "In fact, it's definitely not small at all!" He laughed.

"No, Tom... None of that, it'll be the wrong time of month; I'm due on in a couple of days." Sam stated bluntly.

"Oh, alright. Don't worry about that then. It'll just be me and you, snuggled up on the sofa together. Sound good?" He asked as he got out of the car and went around to her side.

"Sounds perfect." Sam smiled as she went up on her tiptoes, placed her hands on his chest and gently planted her lips on his as he snaked his arms around her waist.

* * *

**Friday 29th August 2014, 5pm**

Tom had missed his lunch break so that he could leave work an hour early to tidy up their flat and get things ready for their cozy evening planned - Sam of course knew he had left early because she had noticed his absence, but when she entered the staff room to get changed out of her scrubs at the end of her shift, she hadn't expected to find Tom standing by her locker wearing his blue superman hooded onesie!

"C'mon birthday girl, everything is ready for you and I want you to change into this, not your work clothes." Tom stated as he handed Sam a bag containing her black batman hooded onesie.

"What? And walk through reception wearing that?" Sam couldn't help but smirk.

"Well I walked in here like this." Tom stated bluntly. "C'mon, get changed otherwise dinner will get cold." He stared and Sam rolled her eyes before she opened her locker where she had several small gift bags and cards from colleagues. She had already received her card, a new purse, a gift voucher for H&M as she never usually treated herself to some new clothes unless she needed them, two CDs that she had asked for, a new pair of GHD straighteners and a gift bag filled with Sam's favourite chocolates and toiletries such as bath oils, massage oils and a Hollister body spray from Tom that morning when she had been given breakfast in bed - Tom could certainly up his game when he wanted to. She quickly got changed, grabbed her gift bags and cards and threw her scrubs in the washing basket before Tom drove her home.

* * *

After a filling Indian takeaway, Sam was spooning with Tom on the sofa as they watched 'Captain Phillips' in their dark living room and Sam had a hot water bottle on her stomach to keep her pain-free whilst they were under a shared blanket in their superhero onesies.

"How're you feeling?" Tom asked kindly as he had been holding the source of heat for her and he had noticed that she had been a little fidgety.

"Pretty good." Sam nodded. "I don't know how to explain it, but I'm not in pain it's just, I can't get comfortable." Sam explained disjointedly. "Why do I have to go through this every month?" Sam moaned rhetorically as she put her hand over Tom's on the hot water bottle, and pressed it down harder - she wasn't in agony but she couldn't stop moving - almost like restless leg syndrome only it was her pelvis that she kept on moving.

"So that one day, your womb can carry our children." Tom said softly. "Speaking of which, I've been meaning to talk to you about when you want children." Tom admitted quietly as he pressed pause to stop the film. He knew that they both wanted children, he just wanted to know a time frame i.e. whether she wanted a child in weeks, months or years. "Because-"

"I'm ready when you are." Sam and Tom said simultaneously and instantly, Sam twisted her neck to face her beaming husband. "Really?" The both asked and they chuckled at their actions.

"You first." Sam ordered.

"Okay. Well you know that I want kids, and I think I'm ready, but I don't want to rush you into anything; it's your body so it's your choice." Tom stated. "Now you."

"Okay, um... I think I'm ready. I mean, I... I don't see why I wouldn't be ready but a few weeks before we do try, I need to stop drinking alcohol all together and start taking vitamins and folic acid." Sam explained slowly. All her life, she had never been entirely sure as to whether she wanted children or not, because she didn't know if she would be a good mum or if she would be able to do everything right. But ever since she had married Tom, she knew that she'd be okay because he would be the best possible dad, and he would support her through the pregnancy no matter what.

"Well, if you're on now, you'll be ovulating in around two weeks time won't you?" Tom asked curiously.

"Roughly, yeah." Sam nodded.

"Well then why don't we try then? Forget birth control, you can start taking vitamins tomorrow, and we can really try and have a baby." Tom said eagerly.

"Um... Okay then!" Sam agreed nervously as she hadn't expected it to have been so soon. But at the same time, she already felt excited about the chance that she, Sam Kent, would actually be planning on having a baby with the man that she loved. Tom was grinning and Sam was smiling as she twisted her neck even further and kissed Tom passionately on the lips. Their lips lingered as they brushed against each other before Sam turned back around to face the TV and snuggled into Tom's embrace under the blanket. "Y'know it's really bugging me that I don't have a clue what you've gotten me." Sam admitted with a hint of annoyance.

"Well you'll get it tomorrow. And we'll leave here around 8ish." He stated.

"Am or pm?"

"In the morning." Tom stated.

"Okay... Can't you just give me a hint?" She pleaded.

"No because if I tell you tonight, I don't think you'll sleep." Tom stated. "Mind you, it is either going to be a bloody brilliant present, or it's going to be a disaster." He admitted jokily.

"What? Tom now I _need_ to know what it is!" Sam demanded.

"No. What you _need_ to know," Tom began sternly as he continued to hold the hot water on her abdomen tightly, "is that we haven't got work for the next two days, and that the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will come." Tom stated.

"Can we sleep here? I can't be bothered to go to bed." Sam admitted.

"Nope. We've done that before and you woke up with a stiff neck." Tom stated.

"But you always wake up with a stiff neck." Sam joked sheepishly.

"It's not a stiff neck, it's morning wood." Tom corrected defensively. "And it is the worst thing in the world if you need the toilet." He added. "C'mon, bedtime." He ordered as he scooped her, her hot water bottle and her blanket into his arms, switched the TV off and then carried her through to their bedroom where he tucked her under the duvet. "Goodnight, and happy birthday." Tom whispered before he placed a light kiss on Sam's forehead and then climbed into his side of the bed but both had a bit of difficultly sleeping because even after a long week at work, Tom was anxious as to what Sam's reaction to her main present would be, and Sam's mind was wondering what her gift actually was.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam's receives her main birthday present. Will she be as open-armed as Tom had hoped?**

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**Thank you for reading! Any feedback - good or bad - would appreciated in a review if you have the time :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Just like to give a massive thanks to HolbyCityFan2013, TamForever, TeamJaspie, CasualtyFanForever81, copper1eddie2, Chels and the guests For reviewing! Every single one of them is appreciated guys :)**

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**Saturday 30th August 2014, 8:30am**

Sam and Tom were in the car for Sam's 'main gift' and both were a mixture between being excited and anxious.

"Can you at least tell me if the main gift is actually a present or if it's me and you going out for the day?" Sam asked impatiently.

"We're driving to collect your present." Tom stated. "And we're pretty much there." He added. "So I suppose that I can tell you now... Before, I know that you've tried to get me into running with you to keep you company, and I know that you like going for long walks, which is why your birthday present, is a purebred border collie puppy." Tom stated slowly and Sam's face lit up.

"I _knew_ it was a puppy!" Sam exclaimed.

"No you didn't!" Tom shrieked as he had been planning with the breeder for months to keep it a secret from Sam.

"Okay maybe I didn't but I had thought about it." She admitted. "I love border collies." She smiled.

"Phew." Tom mocked wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead as Sam grinned at him.

"Thank you." She said gratefully.

"Your welcome." Tom stated as he pulled up on a curb outside of a large detached house. They both got out, and Sam heard a strong bark coming from the back garden.

"Boy or girl?" Sam asked.

"You are the proud owner of a little girl, she's 10 weeks old, and she hasn't got a name yet, I wanted you to name her." Tom stated as he linked arms with Sam. "Right, are you sure you want this yeah? Because I've only put a deposit down and it's okay if you-" Tom was silenced as Sam planted her lips firmly on hers before she pulled away and she hadn't stopped smiling since she had found out what her present was.

"Of course I want her." Sam said confidently.

"Well then, let's go and meet your-"

"_Our_." Sam interrupted.

"Okay, let's go and meet _our_ puppy. By the way, I've already seen her." Tom stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've met the owner a few times and sorted out all the details." He smiled as he took her hand and they walked up the small pathway to the front door. Sam gave Tom's hand a small squeeze of excitement as he knocked firmly on the door before they stepped back and listened to several barks that were clearly from older dogs, and the little yelps and squeaks from the puppies in the back garden.

Sam kept on wondering about what she would call her puppy, when she was brought out of her thoughts and a friendly woman appeared at the door.

"Hiya, I'm Amanda. You must be Sam!" She smiled. "Tom's told me all about you of course. Come in, come in." She said eagerly and Sam followed Tom through corridor to a room that was clearly designated to dogs with a baby gate to prevent them from wandering about. It had a large crate packed with blankets in a corner where the mother was resting and scattered on the floor were dozens of toys. "The pups are just having a run around in the garden at the moment but if you wait here, I'll just bring your little girl in. You can say hello to Pippa, she's the mum." Amanda smiled before she opened the French doors and went out into the grassy garden where Sam could see puppies running around playing with each other.

"Who calls a dog Pippa?" Sam whispered jokily as she squatted down besides Tom in front of the crate where the fully grown dog enjoyed the gentle strokes over her head and down to her tail.

"The dad's called Scout." Tom stated. "Ah, speaking of the devil." Tom smirked as the similar looking black and white dog came padding into the room and joined the mother in the crate.

"Thank you so much for this." Sam said gratefully.

"As long as she doesn't take up my side of the bed, I'm as happy to have her as you are." Tom stated and Amanda smiled at the comment as she came back into the room with a black and white dog the size of a small Jack Russell in her arms.

"This is your little one." Amanda said softly as she gently placed the little animal on the carpet.

"Aw, she's adorable." Sam smiled as she got down onto her knees to greet the newest member of her very small family - just her, Tom and now the puppy as neither of them had families of their own.

"So how much does Sam know?" Amanda asked Tom as they both smiled at Sam interacting with her new best friend.

"I only told her a few minutes ago, so not a lot." Tom stated.

"Alright, well. I'll make us a cup of tea, and we can catch up on the details." She smiled.

* * *

The other puppies had come in from their morning run so the adults had moved into the living room. The woman was sat in an arm chair, whilst Tom and Sam - who had the puppy on her lap - sat on the sofa.

"Okay, have you decided on a name yet?" Amanda asked as she slid onto her knees on the floor by the coffee table and spread out the paperwork on it.

"Um, not yet no." Sam admitted as she let the dog lick her hand because it was either that or her face.

"She's certainly taken a shine to you." Amanda smiled. "But don't worry about the name, you don't want to rush and chose something that doesn't suit her. I've only got one tip for naming your dog and that's to remember that whatever you chose, you have to be comfortable with shouting it across the park because you don't want to be shouting something silly." She stated.

"Mm. So how many were in the litter?" Sam asked curiously.

"Pippa had 9, but there was a runt of the litter and he unfortunately didn't make it so there's eight all together. Most breeders sell the puppies at around 8 weeks old but I wanted to keep these lot a little bit longer because in my experience, the longer they stay with their mum and watch what she does, the easier they are to toilet train. And your little one is the first one I'm letting go. I've already found homes for the rest of them, they were snapped up pretty quickly and their new owners are coming in the next couple of days to collect them." Amanda explained. "And they've already had all of their vaccinations, and they're allowed to go outside." She added.

"Excuse me for being nosey but do you have any children living here? Or has she spent any time with kids?" Tom asked curiously as he gently stroked the dog on Sam's lap.

"I've got a 6 year old and an 8 year old and they've gotten on fine. Plus, when Pippa was younger and I had just had my kids, she was brilliantly behaved around them so I'm sure your one will be fine with children too. Why? Have you got children?" She asked.

"Um no but we're going to try for our first soon." Tom stated as he remembered their conversation the previous night.

"Oh well I wish you the best of luck." She smiled.

* * *

Tom was making lunch whilst Sam was sitting on the sofa watching her new puppy playing with a chew toy on the carpet as it rolled over again and again. She had deep brown eyes, and the tip of her tail, the bottoms of her legs and paws, her chest and her chin were all white, but her back and head were covered in shiny black fur. And because she was so young, both of her black ears flopped forwards. Sam kept on trying to come up with a name for the animal, but she was having a little trouble.

"Right, it's ready." Tom announced and Sam jumped off of the sofa, before she walked into the kitchen. They both sat down at the breakfast bar with a plate of fresh chicken salad and a glass of cold lemonade.

"Thank you."

"So, got any ideas for her name yet?" Tom queried.

"Um..."

"I'll take that as a no." Tom smirked. "Don't worry, you've got all the time in the world." He said reassuringly, before they began eating in silence until Sam spoke up.

"Y'know when we said about trying for a baby..."

"Yes."

"I was looking on the internet, and I've been looking through the calendar at my phone to work out when the most fertile time for me will be, and I think that we should try not next week, but the week after on the Friday or the weekend." Sam explained.

"Yep, I look forward to it." Tom smiled.

"I won't drink anymore and I'll get the folic acid and vitamins tomorrow because I need to go shopping." Sam stated.

"Yep, okay-" Tom was interrupted by a high pitched quiet bark which caused him to smirk. However, they both got up and followed the sound to find the dog standing by the back doors that opened on to their garden - they had the ground floor apartment so they had the garden to themselves. "What is she barking at-"

"Sshh." Sam put a finger to her lips as they watched the puppy staring at the floor frantically wagging her black tail with a white tip. They both realised that the late August sun was shining through the glass doors, and the dog was barking at her own shadow as it moved and she seemed fascinated by it. "That's it!" Sam exclaimed.

"What?"

"Shadow, that's her name." Sam announced.

"Shadow. Mm, I like it." Tom nodded as he put his arm around Sam's shoulder and they both watched the innocent little puppy that was so easily entertained. "Hang on, isn't Shadow more of a male name?" Tom questioned.

"No, I think it's unisex. She's called Shadow." Sam concluded.

* * *

**Coming up: An obstacle interferes with Sam and Tom's plans to conceive their first child.**

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**Thanks for reading, please leave me a quick review if you wouldn't mind :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday 5th September 2014, 5:15pm **

Everyone from the ED had gone to the local pub for a drink after a very long and tiring day at work. For Sam and Tom, the pub held special memories, as it was where they had gotten engaged. However, unlike the many times that they had been there previously, neither were going to be drinking alcohol because they wanted to be in tiptop condition to try for a baby. Sam and Fletch had stayed to collect the drinks for themselves and Tom and Zoe, whilst the others got a tables and they ordered their own drinks.

"Two lemonades please, with ice." Sam ordered.

"And a large G&T and a pint please." Fletch added as he pulled out his wallet and gave Sam a sheepish look. "You two not drinking?" He queried and Sam rolled her eyes as she knew it was bound to raise suspicions. "Got a bun in the oven have we?" He joked.

"No, not yet anyway." Sam admitted coyly as it as only the two of them at the bar, and he was her best friend so she trusted him - well because of that that, and because she really wanted to tell someone about it.

"What? So you're trying?" Fletch asked curiously.

"Not yet, I'm just... I've stopped drinking and I've started to take vitamins but, we're just waiting until I'm ovulating." Sam explained quietly. "But don't tell anyone, we don't want anyone to know yet." Sam stated.

"Nah, I won't. Don't worry." Fletch stated as he handed the barmaid a £20 note. "I'll get these." He said sternly so Sam put her money back in her pocket. "But if you need any help in choosing godparents..." Fletch teased once more before received the change, and then he picked up the tray of four drinks to save Sam carrying it and he went over to the table where thankfully, it would just be the four of them where the ED team had split up into a few other smaller groups.

"Are you two not drinking?" Zoe queried as she took her alcoholic beverage and Fletch sat down next to her whilst Sam sat on the other side of the booth with her husband.

"No." Tom replied simply before he proceeded to change the topic. "Do you want me to invite Max over for you?" He smirked as he nodded over to where Dixie, Jeff, Big Mac, Noel, Louise and Max were relaxing around a pool table. "I mean, I know you two get on quite well."

"I don't know what you're on about." Zoe said innocently before she took a swig of her drink and Sam let out a sigh of relief that she had forgotten about her previous question.

* * *

After having only two drinks, Sam and Tom returned home because of Shadow. They had worked out that until she was toilet trained, they were okay to leave Shadow at home, shut in the kitchen where she had puppy training pads down on the floor, a bowl of fresh water, her comfy dog bed and a couple of toys on the laminated floor that was easy to clean. Sam opened the door to find Shadow waiting at the door, wagging her tail as she had heard her owners come in.

"Have you been a good girl?" Sam smiled as she squatted down and stroked her and then glanced around the room. Everything was clean and tidy, except the chew toy that had clearly been played with, that was lying in the middle of the floor, and the puppy training pad that had been laid out had two yellow patches and a small poo on it. Tom grinned as he watched Sam pick the puppy up and she giggled as it tried to lick her face but Sam was squirming as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Right, do you want to take her out for a walk while I put dinner on?" Tom suggested.

"Only if you're going to clean that up." Sam smiled as she glanced down at the used pad on the floor.

"Go on then." Tom huffed sarcastically and Sam smiled before she carried her puppy towards the front door to get her lead. "You do realise that she has four legs right?" Tom remarked.

"See you soon." Sam called as she ignored his comment before she left the apartment. Until the dog was puppy trained, it also slept in the kitchen at night but Sam knew that as soon as the dog could be trusted to last the night without having an accident, that Shadow would be joining her and her husband on the double bed in their room even though she also knew that he would protest at that.

* * *

**Friday 12th September, 6:30am**

It was the day that Sam and Tom had planned to try for a baby however, as Sam awoke because of her alarm, she felt awful. Usually, she would turned the irksome noise off straight away and jump out of bed, but due to her arid throat and aching limbs, she huffed and paused for a few moments before she finally reached across and turned the alarm off.

"Good morning." Tom smiled which Sam couldn't help but mirror, no matter how bad she felt, because he always looked so sexy in the mornings with his hair sticking up in different directions and his eyes still half closed.

"Morn-" Sam stopped as she had a chesty cough before she grabbed the bottle of water from her bedside table and took a large swig of it. But unlike what she had hoped for it to do, it had not relieved her of the annoying tickle in her throat.

"You alright?" Tom asked kindly as he patted her back.

"Yeah. Just needed a drink." Sam replied briefly as she slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up.

"Today's the day." Tom smiled sleepily as he shuffled across the bed, sat behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her abdomen.

"Mm."

"Well don't sound too excited will you?" Tom asked with sarcasm. "You do want this, don't you? I mean, if you don't we can wait. I don't want to rush you into this."

"No no, I do want to it's just, I think I'm coming down with something." Sam admitted. "But I'll be fine, c'mon. We'd better get ready for work."

* * *

Through the morning in the ED, it had been pretty chaotic as usual, and Tom kept in giving cheeky grins and winks at Sam across the department, but she just didn't feel up to what they were planning that evening. She had consumed several throat lozenges, but that didn't cure her chesty cough, and they only provided relief for less than half an hour before she had to resume drinking plenty of water to sooth the constant tickle in her throat. And because she kept on drinking loads, she had to go to the toilet more which had raised an eyebrow from Fletch as he had been keeping an eye on her, so Sam decided to put things straight with both men in her life straight away.

"Fletch, can I have a word?" Sam asked as the nurse came out of a curtained cubicle.

"Yeah sure." He followed eagerly as he had suspected something and he couldn't wait to hear the good news. Sam lead him to the empty staff room where she closed the door to prevent gossip from spreading. "What's up?"

"Nothing I just... I know I've been going to the toilet more but you've got it wrong, I'm not pregnant; we haven't even tried ye-" Sam stated before she erupted into a coughing fit and Fletch quickly grabbed her a glass of water. "Thanks." Sam croaked.

"You're losing your voice a bit." Fletch smirked.

"It's not funny!" Sam protested but her voice went squeaky at the end of her statement.

"Okay calm down. We don't want you losing your voice completely, that would be the end of the world." Fletch said sarcastically which resulted in a disapproving look from Sam as she folded her arms across her chest. "But if you're not pregnant, why are you going to the toilet so much?" Fletch asked awkwardly as he wondered if it was her time of month.

"Because I keep on drinking loads for my throat." Sam stated.

"Well it's probably strep throat." Fletch concluded.

"Oi, who's the doct-" Sam was about to retort but she began coughing once more and she turned away as Fletch placed a hand on her back.

"Well seeing as _you're_ the doctor, you should know that you should be resting your voice otherwise it'll aggravate your symptoms, and judging by your stiff movements, I'm guessing you've got achy limbs as well. So why don't you go home?" Fletch suggested.

"Because I'll only lie in bed at home and I'd be climbing the walls with boredom." Sam said quietly.

"Alright, if you're sure. But take it easy." Fletch said kindly before he left the room. Sam soon followed and caught Tom at reception.

"Can I have a quick word?" Sam asked quietly. Tom knew she was ill as she had been coughing a lot, he just assumed it was a minor sore throat.

"Yeah sure." He agreed as he followed her to the staffroom, though he frowned when he heard how hoarse Sam's voice was. He closed the door behind her, and then watched as she twiddled her thumbs.

"I know, that you're going to think that I don't want to have a baby, but I do. I _really_ bloody do. I just... I was wondering if we could-"

"Postpone trying for baby until next month when you'll be fertile again because you're not feeling very well." Tom interrupted and Sam let out a sigh of relief that he understood how she was feeling. "It's okay. And don't look at me with a sad puppy dog face like you're sorry because it's not your fault that you're ill." Tom stated. "Why don't you ask Zoe if you can go home? Then you could go and see how Shadow is and get some rest. " Tom suggested and Sam rolled her eyes as she had just heard the exact same thing from her best friend.

"I'm fine. Honestly, I just need to ge-" Sam began coughing again so Tom gently patted her back until she stopped and then she used the small bottle of hand sanitiser that she had in her pocket.

"I don't mind driving you home." He offered.

"Honest, I just want to get on." Sam stated.

* * *

**5:30pm**

Sam was already changed into her pyjamas and Tom had tucked her in bed with a bowl of steaming chicken soup and Shadow with her to keep her company whilst he tidied up the kitchen. The 12 week old puppy was certainly settling in to her new home as she sat gnawing on a tough chew toy between Sam's feet at the end of the bed.

"Y'know, I could get used to you being quiet." Tom joked as he came into the room - Sam was conserving her voice so he only talked when required, and even then it was only in short sentences. "Nah, I'm just kidding. If you were quiet, I'd never know what I'm getting for dinner." Tom joked once more but he received evils from Sam as she placed her empty bowl on the bedside table that was covered with throat lozenges, tissues, paracetamol and bottles of water. He got changed into a pair of shorts and an old tshirt before he climbed into bed besides Sam and put his arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to watch a movie? Or read a book, watch TV, get some sleep?" Tom listed as he paused to see if she nodded to a suggestion.

"Can we go for a walk by the river with Shadow?" Sam whispered which she preferred to do over talking normally as it didn't cause her any pain.

"We've both just gotten into our pyjamas." Tom stated.

"I know but-"

"But you're not the sort of person who lays in bed all day when they're ill." Tom interrupted and Sam smiled at what he knew about her. "Come on then. Shadow, you wanna go walkies?" Tom asked and immediately the dog jumped up, cocked her head and wagged her tail - she already recognised both the word and the high pitched tone in which Sam or Tom said the word 'walkies' and she correctly associated going out with it too because she was an intelligent breed of dog. "I'll take that as a yes." Tom concluded.

* * *

Tom was holding the lead to save Sam from having to endure the puppy tugging her aching arm off, whilst he had his other arm around her waist as they walked along the river by the local park. Tom had made sure that Sam was wrapped up to keep her warm as autumn was well and truly under way and the winds were chilly as they went on their evening walk.

"So... Would you prefer, a baby boy or a baby girl?" Tom asked curiously.

"Boy, there's less hormones when they get older." Sam replied simply yet quietly. "But I wouldn't mind a girl either. What about you?"

"I'd say a girl so that she can be my little princess." Tom stated and Sam smiled to herself. "But I wouldn't mind a boy so that I could raise the next Manchester United Football team." Tom said proudly.

"How many kids do you think we're gonna have?" Sam laughed but she had to stop as she coughed and Tom put his spare hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking.

"It's getting dark, I think we should start to head back." Tom said kindly. "Plus, Shadow's getting tired by the looks of it." He stated and Sam glanced down to see that the puppy was indeed panting with her pink tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Okay." Sam nodded and they turned around on the dirt path and began to head back to their apartment.

"Come on Shadow." Tom said encouragingly, and the puppy slowly turned around and padded besides her owners rather than pulling ahead like usual.

"So, I know it's a long way off. But have you thought about maternity leave? Because I was looking it up last night, and I want to take my 2 weeks maximum leave, and maybe some holiday off after. But you can take up to 52 weeks leave." Tom asked.

"Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves? I'm not even pregnant yet." Sam stated.

"No but I like to plan ahead." Tom stated.

"You? Plan ahead? Don't make me laugh!" Sam retorted. "No seriously, don't make me laugh or I'll have a coughing fit." Sam remarked and Tom chuckled as he entwined the fingers of his spare hand with Sam's. "I'll work up until my due date." Sam stated after thinking about it. "But I'm not sure about leave after the baby's born. It depends how soft I go." She smiled to herself.

"You're beginning to sound like a man, y'know that?" Tom joked as her strep throat had meant that her voice was hoarse and croaky most of the time and it as in a much lower tone.

"You're lucky I'm not pregnant. Otherwise I'd be crying by now." Sam stated.

"Really? I thought you'd be one of the few women to have a pregnancy and not cry throughout the entire team from conception to birth." Tom stated.

"I could easily do that." Sam argued.

"We'll see." Tom quipped.

* * *

**10:30pm**

"Right, the front door is locked, Shadow has been out for a wee, and she's shut in the kitchen. And you've got paracetamol, water, lucozade, sore throat sweets and your kindle for if you can't sleep." Tom listed as he looked at Sam's bedside table. "Anything else you want before I get into bed?"

"A cuddle?" Sam croaked as she lifted her head from her pillow. Tom smiled before he slid under the duvet and wrapped his arms around Sam.

"At least we haven't got work tomorrow. We can just spend the day inside, or go to the library and research pregnancy and baby things." Tom suggested.

"I'm sorry." Sam mumbled. "I know you're really broody and I'm sorry I postponed trying for a baby just because I've got a stupid sore throat." Sam said sulkily.

"Don't be sorry you soppy cow. You're ill and I completely understand. You keep on coughing just from talking, can you imagine what you'd be like if we made love? I'd rather wait, than know that you weren't enjoying it." Tom stated. "Besides, it's only 4 weeks until we can try properly. It'll just give us more time to prepare." He added. But would their efforts be worth it?

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom had a romantic night in, but they then receive bad news about their efforts to conceive, lowering both of their spirits.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Friday 10th October 2014**

Finally, the day arrived that Sam was ovulating and she and Tom were planning on a night to remember. But it was going to be just any old night, they both wanted to make the evening special. And so Sam had offered to cook them a romantic Italian meal - well, it wasn't so much romantic, more unhealthy. However, Tom decided to make the evening more intimate so he entered the kitchen to be with her, rather than watching TV in the living room.

"Right, Chef Kent is here to help." Tom announced and Sam turned around and raised an eyebrow. "What? I can cook when I'm told what to do." He stated and Sam rolled her eyes in amusement.

"You can start by washing your hands." Sam ordered.

"Yes chef." Tom smiled and Sam couldn't help but smile as he did so, and then pulled on the black and whit cooking apron that was in the kitchen draw for messy meals.

"I would say I only use that to stop getting my clothes dirty, but then again you are quite a messy person aren't you?" Sam smiled as she poured out two large glasses of raspberry cream soda, made in Italy to go with the Italian themed dinner. "Speaking of messy." Sam smirked as the four month old Shadow entered the room and began sniffing around on the floor for any crumbs left over.

"C'mon, what can I do?" Tom asked as he picked up his glass and took a mouthful of it. "Mm, that's good stuff."

"It should be for the price they charge." Sam remarked. "And you can get me the smoked salmon, Parma ham, pancetta, feta cheese, Brie cheese, the olives and the rocket from the fridge and the olive oil, and the jar of pesto from the cupboard." Sam stated as she took out a thick wooden chopping board to serve it on. "We're having antipasto for starters." Sam stated and Tom raised his eyebrows as he gathered the ingredients.

"What's antipasto?"

"It's the first course of an Italian meal, I think."

"So you basically just said, we're having starters for starters." Tom concluded as he finally shut the fridge after gathering all the ingredients that Sam had bought the day before. He watched as Sam got out another chopping board, a sharp butchers knife and put the smoked salmon fillet on it. "I wouldn't want my beautiful wife to chop her fingers off now, would I?" Tom whispered into Sam's ear as he stood behind her, and put his hand over hers on the knife, and slowly carved a very thin slice off. "Though, if you did. I could just stitch them back on for you." He joked. Sam smiled to herself as Tom guided her hand slowly until they had sliced up all of the small fillet and then he put the knife down.

"I had a bit of ovulation pain today." Sam stated, and she was slightly apprehensive as to whether Tom would joke about it and say it was too much information, or whether he would be glad but she thought that he deserved to know that they were trying for a baby at the right time.

"That's good to hear." Tom smiled before he pecked her on the cheek. And Sam smiled as she let out a sigh of relief. "Right, what can I do now?"

"Um.. You can cut up the feta cheese into cubes."

* * *

"You know, traditionally after an Italian meal, we would have wine and then have a strong expresso after but I didn't think that alcohol or caffeine should be on either of our menus for tonight." Sam stated as she and Tom had just finished their desert of pistachio gelato.

"No, I don't think it should either." Tom nodded as he stared lovingly into Sam's eyes. "Are you ready?" He asked softly.

"Definitely." Sam replied confidently.

"What about the mess in the kitchen?"

"It's Saturday tomorrow, we'll have plenty of time." Sam shrugged.

"Go on, you go to the bedroom, I'll take the plates out to the kitchen otherwise someone else will finish off for us." Tom smirked as they both looked down at Shadow who was looking back and further between Sam and Tom in confusion - she knew that they were talking about her. Sam couldn't help but smile as she got up from the table and disappeared into the bedroom so Tom quickly took their bowls and glasses out to the kitchen before he went to the bedroom where he found Sam in a black and blue half cup balconette bra along with matching lace knickers with her straight hair down over her back. "Well isn't this a pleasant suprise?" Tom said innocently as he began to pull his shirt over his head, and he kicked the door shut to keep Shadow out.

* * *

They laid in a tangled mess under the duvet after making love in the hope that they would create their first child.

"Shall we go for a quick shower and then hit the sack?" Tom suggested softly as he stroked Sam's hair

"Okay." Sam looked up at him with sleepy eyes as she smiled. "But not hot like normal." Sam added as she glanced down at her abdomen under the covers.

"Of course not. We wouldn't want mummy to get dizzy would we?" He beamed.

"I was thinking more of the heat killing your sperm but okay, let's go with dizzy." Sam said sarcastically as she sat up and then Tom followed her to the bathroom. There was no need to undress as they had done so half an hour ago, so they both stepped into the shower and then let the stream of water cleanse their skin that had gotten slightly sweaty during their intense, intimate session.

"I'll wash your hair for you." Tom whispered as he picked up her Aussie shampoo bottle. Sam smiled as he lovingly massaged the shampoo from her ends to her roots and into her scalp before he moved out of the way and let Sam have the jet of water to herself to rinse it out. "So, I know you wouldn't feel any symptoms yet but, do you feel any different? Or do you feel like something is happening inside of you?" Tom asked curiously.

"You know I can't." Sam stated. "But if I feel any different at all, I'll let you know."

"Don't I know it." Tom retorted, which received a glare. "I'm joking." He said innocently. "It was a joke."

* * *

**Thursday 23rd October 2014, 3am**

The previous day, Sam had gotten a pregnancy test that she was going to take the following morning as that was when her period was due, and she wanted to take the test with her husband to see the result together. However, in the early hours of the morning, Tom awoke to some noise and he opened his sleepy eyes to see a dark silhouette exiting the bright bathroom, before the light turned off and the person got into bed besides him.

"Hey, you never normally go to the toilet during the night. Increased urination." Tom teased excitedly yet quietly as he wasn't fully awake.

"It's not that." Sam mumbled sorrowfully.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tom asked concernedly as he sat up slightly and looked over so that he could see her face that she had buried into her pillow. "Sam?"

"I'm sorry... I've started." She apologised and it took a few seconds before it clicked in Tom's mind what she meant.

"For definite? Or is it just some spotting?" Tom asked.

"No. I'm not pregnant Tom." Sam sighed.

"Well it's okay, it doesn't always happen first time and we've got plenty of time to try again."

"I know." Sam nodded. But despite them both being slightly hopeful about the future, both were clearly disappointed.

"Do you want your hot water bottle or some painkillers?" Tom offered to break the silence that had fallen upon them. But Sam shook her head in reply. She did have a painful stomach ache - that was why she had woken up so early - but she had failed her husband, and she believed that she deserved to be in pain. He wrapped his arms around her abdomen and held her tightly, as it took the both a while before they could get back to sleep once more.

* * *

**10am**

Sam sat down at the nurses station in cubicles to update her patient's notes, when Fletch came up behind her.

"You up the duff yet?" He joked.

"No. I am 100% not." Sam stated sternly without making eye contact and fletch got the message.

"I take it you've tried then, but it didn't work."

"Fletch no offence but this really isn't any of your business." Sam snapped. "Sorry, I'm just not in the mood." She apologised as she ran her hands over her face.

"If it makes you feel any better, when me and Nat were trying for our first, it took 7 months." Fletch stated. "And now look at us, we've got four kids." He said reassuringly as he patted her on the back and then went off to get on with his job. Seven months. Seven long, hard months, Sam and Tom had only tried for one month and she was already disheartened. So she stopped updating the patient's files, quickly made her way to the staff room in the hope that she wouldn't be seen before she started researching ways to increase the chances of conception on her phone. There were various herbs and spices encouraged, different positions during intercourse to aid penetration but she was in perfect health. She wasn't overweight, she didn't smoke, she had stopped drinking alcohol and coffee. Why wasn't she pregnant? It seemed so frustrating, yet she felt isolated because although she knew Tom was disappointed, he seemed able to continue the day without any problems. She knew that in exactly 2 weeks, she would be ovulating again, and she was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

**Coming up: Will the Kent family get the news that they've been waiting for?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**25th December 2014**

Nobody could possibly imagine how much strain trying for a baby can put on a marriage until they're in the situation themselves. But if there was anytime of year that a miracle could happen. It was christmas.

"Tom, wakey wakey!" Sam shouted and Tom opened his eyes to see Shadow standing on top of his chest, wagging her tail with her ears down. She was almost 6 months old, and she was close to being a fully grown border collie already, so Tom gently pushed her off of him onto the mattress besides him and then made his way into the living room. It was Christmas Day morning and he found Sam kneeling down by the christmas tree, under which was a small pile of presents and there were two steaming cups of tea on the table. "Merry Christmas." Sam smiled as Tom knelt down in front of her, and Shadow came and joined them too. Tom was just in his shorts and an old shirt, whilst Sam was in a tight white vest top, and blue shorts with her hair in a messy bun.

"Merry Christmas. Though I didn't have you down as the wake up early on christmas morning kind of person, I thought that was me last year." Tom admitted.

"Well, maybe you should just _expect_ the unexpected." Sam said cleverly and Tom looked at her in confusion.

"That's an odd thing to say."

"Well I'm an odd person." Sam shrugged. "Right, that's to keep _you_ occupied." Sam stated as she picked up a small football that had been wrapped several times with lots of cellotape to make it harder to unwrap and then threw it onto the carpet. Shadow dived onto the mysterious item and began shredding with her teeth it so Sam turned back to the pile of presents under the tree.

They made their way through the stack of presents, just small gifts for each other whilst Shadow got a few packets of treats and a few other toys when Sam decided that there was no time like the present.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Sam said as she got to her feet leaving Tom to play with shadow for a few moments before she returned with her hands behind her back. "I forgot one present for you, I must've left it in the bedroom." Sam said nervously as she handed him a plain, small yellow gift box.

"Oh, thank you." Tom smiled as he took the box and took the lid off, only he froze as he saw two white sticks with purple ends, both with a digital screen saying 'Pregnant'. Sam glanced between the sticks and Tom's face, hoping that it was the news he wanted when he suddenly put the box aside and pulled her into his arms. "This is fantastic!" He chuckled as he rubbed her back with his arms. "How far gone?"

"Four weeks. I only found out yesterday so it was kind of a last minute present." Sam admitted.

"This is unbelievable I just... Wow." He couldn't stop smiling as he rocked from side to side with Sam in his arms but they both jumped when they heard a bold bark, and they pulled apart to see Shadow sitting there - presumably feeling left out. "You're gonna have a little friend to play with soon girl." Tom said as he tickled her under the chin.

"So it's good news?" Sam asked.

"Of course it is, it's the best news I could've possibly wished for." Tom stated as he took her hands in his. "I love you so so much."

"We love you too." Sam smiled as she pulled his hands forward and placed them on her stomach through her white pyjama vest top. Tom chuckled as he felt her warm abdomen which he knew would soon be stretched and taunted to accommodate for their growing baby.

"So when can I go shouting from the rooftops about this?" Tom asked proudly.

"Not yet. I really want to tell Fletch, and maybe Zoe, but maybe not everyone else until I'm 8 or 10 weeks." Sam replied.

* * *

"What's wrong with her? Normally we can't get her to come when we ask and now she won't go away!" Tom laughed as he and Sam were taking Shadow for a nice long walk in the local park to wear her out for the day and to get some fresh air. And usually, she would be bounding around the park, chasing a tennis ball or playing with the other dogs, but oddly she was walking in between Sam and Tom as they held hands.

"Maybe it's because the grass is frosty and her feet are cold; she probably prefers the pathways." Sam suggested.

"Sam, she's a dog." Tom stated.

"Really? I thought she was a cat." Sam joked sarcastically. Try enjoyed their peaceful walk through the park with Shadow staying close by when the silence was interrupted.

"COME HERE NOW!" They heard a man shout and suddenly Sam and Tom saw a Great Dane come bounding through the park gate as the owner chased after the massive dog with it's lead in his hand. The dog was running around but the owner had no chance of catching it, when it caught eye of Sam, Tom and Shadow - the only other people in the park with a dog. Tom had no time to react as the dog came charging towards Sam causing her heart to beat ten to the dozen, however Shadow jumped in front of Sam, growled and showed her teeth off and the large dog came to an immediate holt before Shadow chased the dog off.

"Are you okay?" Tom asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Sam couldn't help but smile in the tense situation as she watched Shadow herd the Great Dane so that the owner could get his lead on the beast. "She's a sheepdog, it's in her instincts." Sam smiled as Shadow came running back to Sam and then sat at her feet. "Good girl." Sam praised as she tickled her behind the ear.

"I am so sorry if he scared you. I just opened the boot of my car and he leapt out and ran away." The out of breath man apologised as he kept the massive dog on a tight leash.

"Well it's a good job our dog is better behaved. My wife is pregnant. What what've happened if your dog got near her?" Tom argued as he stood in front of Sam and Shadow. "If you dog had jumped on her, she wouldn't stand a chance with the size of that thing!"

"I'm sorry mate, there was nothing I could do." He apologised. Sam stood behind Tom, smiling as he defended her, but she was just proud of Shadow for being so good when finally Tom finished arguing after several minutes of bickering and the man with the Great Dane stormed off.

"Merry Christmas, by the way." Tom shouted sarcastically and Sam giggled.

"I think we should be heading home now." She suggested.

"Yep. Y'know it's not all bad having a mutt." Tom smirked as he stroked Shadow on the back as they walked back along the path.

"I think she knows I'm pregnant." Sam stated.

"What? She's a dog how could she-"

"Well think about it, she protected me, not you. And she's staying with us rather than running off. I've read about it online about dogs being protective of their owners when they were pregnant because they can sense changes in human behaviour and they can detect hormones." Sam explained.

"Prove it."

"Alright. You see where this path splits up into two up here?"

"Yeah."

"You go left, I'll go right and see where Shadow goes. Don't say anything to her or do anything differently, just carry on walking until we meet up at the gate and see who she follows." Sam ordered.

"Okay, fine."

Sam and Tom continued walking with Shadow in between them, until they split on the path and the dog didn't appear to give it a second thought as she clearly stuck with Sam.

"Told you." Sam said smugly as Tom jogged over the grass and continued walking with Sam again.

"He's let that bloody dog go again." Tom said angrily as he turned around to see the large dog leaping around with it's lead dragging behind it.

"It's alright, they're the other side of the park. Besides, I've got my little guard dog." Sam said proudly.

* * *

Sam and Tom were sitting watching the news on TV on the sofa, and Sam had her feet on his lap as he gave her a gentle foot rub which she always enjoyed - pregnant or not - when she decided that it was time to share her news.

"Why don't we skype Fletch and tell him that you're gonna be a daddy?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, though I'm sure he's probably still clearing up the wrapping paper from the mess that his kids would've made." Tom smirked as he used the remote to set up skype on their smart TV. "You really want to skype, while I'm rubbing your feet?"

"Fine." Sam huffed as she got up and then leant on Tom as she sat right next to him with her knees bent and her feet besides her. "Come here Shadow." Sam said encouragingly and the dog jumped up and curled up besides Sam. "Good girl."

A few moment passed until Tom set it up, then he called Fletch and waited.

"_Hello_." Fletch announced his presence as he too was using skype on his TV so it was in the living room where he was playing with his youngest on the carpet.

"Merry Christmas!" Sam and Tom said simultaneously.

"_Merry Christmas to you two too_." Fletch replied cheerfully.

"_Fletch have we got any spare triple a batteries_?" Natalie asked as she came into the room holding a remote control car as Mikey stood eagerly to play his new toy.

"_Er... Second draw on your right in the kitchen_." Fletch replied and the two then disappeared again leaving Fletch bed his baby son in his lap on the screen.

"Fletch we've got something to tell you." Sam stated which caught his attention, before Sam nudged her husband.

"Sam's pregnant!" He smiled and Fletch broke into an even bigger smile.

"_That's brilliant, congratulations!"_

"It was quite the christmas present." Tom admitted.

"_What? Did she give you the test_?" Fletch asked.

"Yep." Sam nodded.

"_That's what Nat did with Evie on my birthday_." Fletch smiled at the memory. "_So how far gone are you_?" He asked curiously.

"Four weeks." Sam stated.

"_Four weeks? Is that all_?" He joked and Sam's mouth hit the floor.

"Fletch!"

"_What? I was joking, you can't even tell that you're pregnant_." He said reassuringly but he watched as Sam grabbed a cushion from the end of the sofa that she had been leaning on, and she hugged it over her abdomen. "_Okay, that just makes it look worse._" He smirked. "_How's Shadow enjoying her first christmas_?"

"She saved Sam from being rugby tackled by a dog at the park." Tom stated bluntly.

"_Rugby tackled by a dog_?" Fletch laughed.

"Yeah, it was a massive Great Dane." Sam moaned.

"_Well those things are massive. I've always wanted a dog for the kids but it's like £500 for a healthy pup."_

"Shadow was £650." Tom stated.

"But she was worth it." Sam pouted as she stroked the dog besides her.

"Of course she was." Tom rolled her eyes which caused Sam to elbow him and Fletch just laughed.

"_You_-" Fletch began before being interrupted.

"_Dad! Dad! It's snowing, come look_!"

"_Mikey don't leave the back door open_!" Fletch shouted. "_Right, I'd better go because one snowflake falls and this house goes mad._" He stated as he lifted his baby up and held him against his chest. "_I don't know what you're smiling at Tom, you'll have to deal with this in a few years._" Fletch stated as he stood up.

"Yeah, yeah. See you later."

"Bye." Sam gave a small wave before they disconnected and Tom turned the TV off. "Why did you turn it off? I thought we were going to watch the grinch when it comes on in about ten minutes." Sam stated after glancing at Tom's watch.

"But it's snowing!" Tom whined as they looked out to see the snow slowly falling diagonally because of the gentle winds before it landed on the grass in their back garden.

"How old are you?" Sam laughed. "Look, we'll watch the movie, and then you can go out in the snow. Then it might be settled enough to make a snowman or something."

"Pft. I'm not a ten year old I don't make snowman. I make snow _forts_." Tom stated and Sam rolled her eyes as she grabbed the TV switch and turned it back on.

* * *

"Can we pause it for a minute?" Sam asked halfway through the movie.

"Why?"

"Because I need the toilet, and I need to stretch my legs because there's been a big lump on them." Sam stated as she gently moved Shadow off of her and then stood up.

"Oh here we go. Soon we'll be stopping on the 15 minute journey to work at a petrol garage to use the toilet." Tom joked and Sam couldn't help but smile before she walked out of the room and to the bathroom. She soon returned only to find Shadow was curled up next to Tom in her spot.

"Did you put her there?" Sam huffed.

"No. She must've moved there because the seat was warm." Tom stated.

"Shadow, shift. " Sam ordered and Tom immediately realised that she was a bit grouchy because usually, she'd never move Shadow and she'd tell Tom off for doing so too. Reluctantly, the big puppy got up and plonked herself down on the carpet before she closed her eyes and drifted off again whilst Sam got back on the sofa and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Would you like a back massage? Or a shoulder massage or a foot massage?" Tom asked kindly as he waited to press play to continue the christmas film.

"No, but thanks. Maybe later." Sam replied as she held on to his arm and then focused on the TV.

"I bet you can't guess who the grinch reminds me of?" Tom whispered.

"Me on a good day?" Sam joked halfheartedly.

"No."

"Louise?"

"No."

"Lily?"

"And you got there eventually." Tom concluded before he pressed the play button.

* * *

Sam was stood inside by the back door, hugging a mug of hot chocolate whilst she watched Tom and a Shadow out in the snow - though she didn't know who was more entertaining. It was Shadow's first time in the snow, and so she had ran out and began rubbing her face in the snow as she kept on rolling over and then standing up and shaking the snow off of her. And Tom was busy trying to build a 'fort', however Sam couldn't help but giggle every time a part of his one foot pile of snow collapsed. She wasn't staying inside because she was pregnant, because she knew if she wrapped up, no harm would be done to her unborn child. She was staying inside because she wasn't as immature as Tom, and she didn't really care about a bit of snow that was only a couple of inches deep. Besides, she knew Tom would only throw snowballs at her anyway.

"C'mon you spoilsport!" Tom moaned and Sam could hear him through the glass doors.

"Play with Shadow." Sam shouted but her smile disappeared soon as she realised that he was making a snowball to throw at her puppy. "Tom don't!" Sam said sternly as she opened the door just a fraction so he could definitely hear her.

"What's she going to do?" Tom smirked before he threw the ball of snow at the dog, only she tried to bite it and ended up crunching some of the snow in her mouth before she hit her nose with her paw repeatedly.

"Tom she's probably got a cold nose now." Sam whined.

"Sam, she's a dog." Tom laughed.

"Shadow come." Sam called and immediately the dog ran in the door that her owner had opened for her, before Sam closed the door and grabbed Shadow's towel that had cartoon dog bones on it. "Let's dry you off and warm you up eh?" Sam said softly as she got down on her knees and began to rub the towel on her dog's fur.

* * *

**10pm**

After a long Christmas Day, the Kent Family were all tucked up in bed. Tom was at the edge of the bed, and he had Sam in his arms. Whilst in front of Sam was Shadow as they had decided that at almost 6 months old, Shadow was allowed to sleep on their bed because she was toilet trained and rarely had accidents.

"I still don't feel pregnant... Like, it hasn't sunk in because I don't feel any different." Sam explained sleepily whilst Tom stroked her hair.

"It will do in a few weeks, I'm sure." Tom stated. "But I think it is making you a little bit more tired because you're never normally this exhausted at 10 o'clock." He added. "However, no matter what you feel or go through, it's all because your body is creating a new life. And using only what you have in your body, you are giving me a son or daughter and I can't tell you how much you mean to me." Tom explained quietly. "What's so funny?" He asked confusedly as he saw her smirk.

"It's just that... When I realised that I was late yesterday, and I took a test... I didn't know what to do, and I was scared." She admitted. "Well, I still am scared." She corrected shakily.

"Oh Sam, of course you're scared." Tom said softly as he wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. "It's perfectly normal to be scared. But we're going to go through this together okay? I know I can't be the pregnant one and I can't go through what you're going to go through, but I'm going to be with you every step of the way. I promise." Tom said reassuringly. "Besides, you'll never be able to compete with Shadow on the toilet front. She can hold it for hours, and then she'll pee about 10 times in 2 minutes." Tom joked and Sam smiled to herself as she slowly blinked - tiredness was overcoming her sooner rather than later. "I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything okay? Even if it's a silly little worry that you think is nothing, I'm all ears. Or if you get heartburn, headaches, nausea etc then I'm right here for you."

"I know. I trust you." Sam mumbled.

"Was that said just to shut me up so that you can get to sleep?" Tom asked.

"Maybe." Sam replied sheepishly as she twisted her lips whilst she kept her eyes closed.

"Okay. Night night. And merry christmas." Tom whispered as he pecked Sam on the cheek, turned the light off and then closed his eyes before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Coming up: Morning sickness occurs and Sam and Tom's central heating breaks down in the middle of one of Britain's coldest winters.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Friday 2nd January 2015, 3am**

Sam opened her eyes to a familiar feeling that she had grown accustomed to in the past week: nausea. She was 7 weeks pregnant, but oddly she kind of liked the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach because it was reassuring her that she was still pregnant every morning. However, she never usually felt that cold under the thick duvet even though it was the middle of winter.

"Typical." She muttered as she rolled her eyes; she had asked Tom to put the heating on the previous night, but obviously she wouldn't be that cold if he had. So, she reluctantly slid out of bed in her black batman onesie with the hood up and went to the utility cupboard only to find that there were two red lights, indicated that the hot water and the heating were switched on. "What?" Sam whispered confusedly. She closed the cupboard and walked over to the radiator in the living room where she found that it was - as assumed - ice cold. "Brilliant." Sam sighed sarcastically before she grabbed the phone book and the house phone. She was absolutely freezing as she quickly flicked through the phone book to find the British Gas number, only to find that unless it was an emergency gas leak, their phone lines were only open from 8am to 8pm - that was 5 hours away.

"Hey." Tom croaked as he came into the room in his blue superman onesie. "Can't you sleep?"

"The boiler has packed up." Sam huffed as Shadow padded into the room and had a good stretch.

"Really? So that's why it's so-"

"Cold, yeah." Sam nodded. "And I can't call the company to come and fix it, until 8am." Sam stated grumpily.

"Well, there's nothing we can do. C'mon, I'll fill up your hot water bottle, and you can go and get back into bed. Oh and I'll get a sleeping bag that we can put on top of the duvet too." Tom suggested as he flicked the kettle on and then retrieved Sam's blue hot water bottle from the living room. He watched his wife slowly pad back to the bedroom and whilst he waited for the kettle to boil, he looked outside into the darkness. Ever since christmas, it had been snowing on and off. But because some of it had melted, whenever more snow fell, it just turned into ice the next morning as it was so freezing cold. It had been described as one of the worst winters that Britain had experienced in decades.

He filled up her hot water bottle, and then went back into the bedroom where he found Sam cuddling Shadow.

"Sam. I don't mind her being on the bed, but don't you think under the duvet is a bit too much?" Tom smirked.

"What? She's cold." Sam said innocently as Tom switched all of the lights off and then climbed into bed.

"Where do you want the hot water bottle?" He asked curiously.

"Put it on my upper back, and then if you put your arms around me, you can have it on your chest to keep you warm too." Sam said quietly and Tom did so. "At least the shower is electric so we've got a hot shower to look forward to in the morning."

"I'll look forward to it even more if I know we're sharing one." Tom whispered into her ear.

"We'll see." Sam mumbled.

* * *

**8:10am**

Sam was sat in the ED staffroom on with her phone to her ear because she was being put on hold as the lines were clearly very busy. She knew she was meant to be working, but it was important that they got their boiler fixed as she hadn't slept very well that morning due to the coldness. And without hot water, they had to boil the kettle to wash up and to have a wash. Though thankfully, the nausea had passed.

"Sam." Sam jumped as her boss entered the room but she kept the phone to her ear because she didn't want to miss her chance to speak to someone. "What're you doing? You're supposed to be working." Zoe stated.

"I know but... It's a really important call, I'm being put on hold." Sam said pleadingly.

"What's so important that means you can't be treating patients?" Zoe remarked as she put her hands on her hips.

"The boiler's broken in our house and we've got no heating. I'm just waiting to get through to British Gas to get them to fix it."

"Sam, you really should be working."

"I know but..." She trailed off.

"But what Sam?"

"I really need the heating at night because... I'm pregnant." Sam stated quietly. "It's supposed to be -4° tonight and I'm worried." Sam admitted timidly.

"Oh right... Well congratulations. I take it that's why Tom's been in such a good mood recently." Zoe smiled and Sam couldn't help but return the expression. "How many weeks?"

"Seven." Sam stated.

"Okay, well we'll have to have a chat soon about maternity leave and for now, you can take that call but you'll have to make up the number of patients you treat in the next couple of days. Okay?" Zoe said reasonably.

"Yeah, thanks Zoe." Sam nodded.

"Alright. I want you out here by half past though." Zoe warned before she left the room and Sam let out a sigh of relief that she had been let off of the hook.

* * *

**8:15am**

"_Hello British Gas services, how can I help_?" Sam almost jumped for joy when someone picked up the phone and the stupid background music stopped.

"Hello there, um our boiler isn't working so we've got no hot water or heating and we need to get it fixed as soon as possible." Sam explained.

"_Okay, what is your address please madam_?"

"6a Wolsey Road, Holby."

"_Alright. And can I have a name_?"

"Er it'll be under Mr and Mrs Kent, or Miss Nicholls, I can remember if I changed it after I got married." Sam stated.

"_First name_?"

"Samantha." Sam huffed.

"_Samantha and Tom Kent?_"

"Yeah, that's it."

"_Okay. Well all of our workers are currently out on calls at the moment, and there is an eight day waiting list._"

"Eight days?! We can't wait eight days." Sam argued.

"_Well there are a number of things that could increase your priority to get your boiler seen to faster. Do you have any young children in the house_?"

"No." Sam sighed impatiently.

"_Are there any elderly men or women in the house?_"

"No." Sam huffed.

"_Are there any pregnant women_-"

"Yes, yes I'm pregnant." Sam blurted out before she quickly glanced around her to check that the staff room was still empty. "Seven weeks." She added once the coast was clear.

"_Well I'm afraid that the waiting list is still two or three working days._"

"Well if that's the best you can do, then it'll have to do." Sam sighed.

"_Okay the plumber will ring you around 30 minutes before he will go to your home. In the meantime, maybe you could stay at a friends?_" She suggested.

"No, I'll manage. Thank you- hang on did you say working days?" Sam demanded as it was only a Friday.

"_Yes, Monday to Saturday are working days for our company_."

"So I might not have my boiler fixed until next Tuesday?"

"_I'm afraid not but we're running at full capacity Mrs Kent_."

"Brilliant." Sam muttered under her breath. "Right, good bye."

"_Bye_."

Sam put her phone back in her pocket and then grabbed a bottle of water from her locker. She seemed to be constantly thirsty, and needing a wee at the same time but she didn't restrict her fluid intake - if anything she had increased it for the health of her baby. After quenching her thirst, she made her way out through reception into cubicles to inform Tom.

"Did you get through?" Tom asked curiously.

"Yeah. They said we're a priority because of... That." Sam trailed off as she looked down at her abdomen because she didn't want anyone else knowing about her baby yet. "But they can't fix it for around two or three working days, and Sunday doesn't count as a working day so we could be waiting until next Tuesday." Sam explained.

"What!? That's ridiculous! It's like -20 degrees outside and we have no heating and no hot water!" Tom protested.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Sam moaned.

"Sorry, no, I wasn't shouting at you." Tom apologised sincerely before he pecked Sam on the forehead.

"It's alright." Sam mumbled. "Right, I'd better actually get on with some work today. I'll meet you in the canteen for lunch yeah?"

"Yeah sure." Tom nodded before Sam disappeared to collect her first patient from reception.

* * *

"Be careful." Tom warned as he and Sam exited the ED where the roads and pavement were covered in ice and slush, despite being gritted - though it was a poor job considering it was on the NHS budget.

"I'm not a child." Sam stated.

"No but you are with child, and if you slip on this ice you'll be _without_ child." Tom said sternly as he put his arm around her shoulders. "I still don't see why you won't stay over at Fletch's for a few days. He's more than happy to have you over so you won't be in our freezing cold apartment."

"I don't want to stay at Fletch's because one: I'll be in a house of four screaming kids that aren't mine and I really don't have a lot of patience right now, two: I'll be sleeping in a single bed belonging to one of his kids, and three: you and Shadow won't be there." Sam explained.

"And who would you miss more? Me or Shadow?" Tom asked curiously.

"Ooh, now that's a toughie." Sam smirked.

* * *

"Tadaa!" Tom announced as he uncovered Sam's eyes to reveal their bath tub filled with steaming, foamy water that he had filled using the cold tap and boiling the kettle so that Sam could keep warm, after they had had hot tomato soup for dinner, and a hot chocolate to warm their hands.

"Thank you." Sam smiled. "Aren't you going to get in with me?"

"No because if I get in, then you'll be on top of me, and that'll mean that you'll be partly out of the water and then you'll get cold. Go on, I'm gonna sit on the bath mat."

"Can you gimme a minute because I need a wee before I get in there." Sam admitted.

"I'll go and get you your pyjamas then." He chuckled as he left the room to give Sam some privacy.

"Jesus Christ the toilet seat is freezing!" Sam shrieked.

"And that's why I'm lucky that I'm a bloke because I can stand." Tom said through the door.

"That and the fact that you can have a child but you don't actually have to carry them or give birth to them." Sam retorted.

"You wait until you feel our child move inside of you and then I'm sure that you'll be glad you're carrying him or her, not me." Tom stated as he sorted out a white base layer, and her thick fluffy socks. "You finished?" He queried to be polite as he heard her washing her hands in the sink after the toilet had flushed.

"Yep." She replied so Tom entered and closed the door behind him. She quickly got undressed out of all of her layers and then slid into the warm water which hadn't been as hot as Tom had hoped. But it was probably for the best for her unborn child anyway. After a while of chatting, Sam pulled out the plug and stepped out of the bath into a towel that Tom had been sitting on on the floor and that had made it a little bit warm for her as he wrapped it around her frame. "Thank you."

"How about I dry your hair for you?" Tom suggested.

"You? Dry my hair?"

"Yeah. Cmon, I can't imagine that it's that hard to use a hair dryer."

"Fine, but let me get dressed first, yeah?" Sam said as she took her onesie and white base layer from him whilst she clutched the towel tightly around her body with her other hand.

"You don't need to hide from me, it's okay. I've-"

"Tom please." Sam said simply. "Just go." She added quietly. Tom reluctantly nodded before he slipped out of the room to respect her decision.

* * *

Sam sat cross legged in her blue and white Aztec jumpsuit onesie on, on the edge of their double bed, facing inwards whilst Tom lovingly blow dried her hair for her. He stopped every now and then to give her long thick hair a decent brush and when he did stop because her hair was thoroughly dried, she decided to pipe up.

"It's not you y'know... When I wanted to get changed by myself... And I will let you see your baby but I just want to wait a few weeks, okay?" Sam said softly. She wasn't entirely comfortable with her body just yet because she had put a little bit of weight on, on her abdomen and that had made her look a little chubbier rather than looking like a bump so she wanted to wait until her bump was properly established before she allowed Tom to look. He looked down from her hair, over her shoulder to see that she was indeed sitting there with her two hands resting on her abdomen.

"Yeah. Of course, that's fine." Tom nodded reassuringly. "Oh no." He sighed.

"What?"

"It's snowing again." Tom stated and Sam twisted her neck to see out of the window that he was correct. Usually, she wouldn't mind a bit of snow, but they had had such terrible weather, they had no heating, and even though she moaned at Tom for worrying about her, she too was a little concerned about the risks of taking Shadow for a walk on on the icy, slippery pavements to her unborn child. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Shadow for a while and she fancied making a fuss of her puppy.

"Shadow!" Sam called and they both heard a thump of her jumping off of the sofa in the living room, before she came trotting into the bedroom, jumped on the bed and laid down in front of Sam with her head on Sam's knee. "What's wrong with you?" Sam asked as the dog began sniffing her legs which made her feel a little uncomfortable. "Stop-"

"Just see what she does." Tom ordered curiously as he grabbed Sam's hand to stop her from swatting Shadow away. Slowly the dog sniffed up Sam's thigh and then went to her lower abdomen before she licked Sam's onesie right in the centre of her stomach. "I think you might be right about her knowing that you're pregnant." Tom admitted as she licked that spot several times.

"I know, I'm always right." Sam said smugly. "Oi, no." Sam said sternly yet softly as she nudged Shadow to stop her from licking her even further. "Aww! Tom she's so cold that she's shaking!" Sam cooed in a high pitched voice.

"Well the more you pay attention to her and squeal at her, the more she's going to shake, look at her!" Tom laughed but Sam ignored him as she frantically rubbed her hands up and down the dog's back to warm her up. "Why don't we get into bed and settle down huh?" Tom suggested. "We could look online at baby things." He added.

"Or we could just go to sleep." Sam stated bluntly. Tom wanted to protest that it wasn't even 10pm yet, but he knew that pregnancy could certainly run her down - especially during the first and third trimesters - so he wanted to be supportive of her.

"Go on then." He replied as he began to change into a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, which wasn't his usual attire for nightwear but it was needed with the extreme temperatures. Whilst he got changed, Sam pulled back the duvet and let Shadow get comfortable on her side of the mattress before Sam climbed into the middle of the bed and waited for him. "And where am I supposed to sleep?" Tom joked as he climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Sam, and inevitably, Shadow too.

"The more the merrier, Shadow needs keeping warm and she'll help keep us warm too." Sam said sleepily.

"Just this once."

"You say that all the time but she always ends up sleeping with us." Sam smiled.

"Oi, be careful with your wording." Tom warned jokily and Sam laughed softly before she felt Tom's hands go lower on here abdomen and he gently rubbed his hands over her onesie from side to side. "Sorry, are you alright with this?" Tom asked quietly as he wondered if she was okay with being touched seeing as she didn't like being looked at.

"Yeah, it's nice." Sam whispered.

"Wake me up in the night if you're cold yeah?" Tom said kindly. "I'll make you a hot drink or something."

"And then I'll be up all night peeing." Sam concluded.

"You haven't actually been to the toilet that much more frequently than usual."

"Mm." Sam mumbled. Tom lifted his head up and looked over to see that Sam had her eyes closed and she was clearly exhausted so he reached behind him and turned the light off before he settled down for the night.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam is faced with more morning sickness. But this time, at work.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Monday 5th January 2015, 2am**

Sam awoke to the feeling of a full bladder, and in general she felt cold all over. She knew she'd have to go to the toilet otherwise she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, but she was sandwiched in the middle of the bed with Tom on one side and Shadow on the other. She was cuddling her big puppy, so she turned around to face Tom, and her movements had woken him up.

"I need a wee but it's too cold to get up." Sam mumbled

"Well I can't help you there." Tom croaked jokily as he rubbed his eyes.

"Can you move please? I can't get out of the bed."

"Just move Shadow." Tom huffed.

"No, she's fast asleep and you're awake." Sam replied but upon hearing her owner's voice, Shadow lifted her head from the ball that she was curled up in, and she looked directly into Sam's eyes.

"There you go, she's awake; you can move her." Tom concluded before he turned over and he wrapped his pillow around his head. Sam huffed in annoyance before she gently encouraged Shadow to get out of the bed and then she made her way to the bathroom, only Shadow followed her.

"Tom look!" Sam laughed and Tom reluctantly opened his eyes and turned over to see the bright bathroom light, where Sam was standing with Shadow between her legs.

"What?" Tom moaned.

"Well it's a good job that I'm more of a morning person than you, isn't it?" Sam retorted before she closed the bathroom door, with Shadow staying firmly by her side.

* * *

**9am**

Sam was sitting at the nurses station, pretending to update a patient's file, when really she was just in need of a break. She felt tremendously nauseous but the last thing she wanted was to go home to a freezing cold flat.

"Sam, can you take a look at this case please? Mrs Beauchamp thinks that the foot will have to be amputated because the ulcers are too infected but I think that the leg could be saved." Robyn explained.

"Erm yeah sure." Sam took a deep breath before she stood up and followed the young nurse.

"Are you okay? You're looking a bit pale." She questioned.

"Fine I'm just... Trying out a new foundation but I think it's a little bit too light for me." Sam lied through her teeth before Robyn opened the doors to the private bay where Connie was standing by the unconscious and intubated patient's bedside. Sam made it just a metre from the bed until she could smell the putrid smell of the infected, pus filled abscesses on the foot that was out in the open. Unfortunately, that tipped the scales for Sam as she turned and only just made it to the clinical waste bin by the doors of the small intensive care unit room before she vomited.

She was mortified and couldn't believe what had just happened when she stepped back and closed her eyes.

"Sam, are you alright?" Robyn asked worriedly.

"I'm fine I just... I must be coming down with something... I had a fever this morning and a headache." Sam lied as she tried to indirectly persuade Robyn that it wasn't morning sickness by associating a fever with her symptoms. "Sorry you'll have to get another doctor." Sam muttered before she left the room.

"Robyn, could you go and get Dr Hanna for me please?" Connie asked.

"Yeah sure." Robyn eagerly disappeared once more before she returned with the clinical lead.

"Thanks Robyn, could you just give me a moment with Zoe alone?" Connie asked.

"Um, okay." Robyn replied before she left the room with just the two doctors left.

"What's this about Connie? I'm supposed to be in a meeting." Zoe complained.

"Sam, has just vomited - presumably because of the smell of these infected abscesses - but she claimed that she's coming down with something and I just thought that you should know." Connie explained as she gave Zoe a look, and so Zoe understood what Connie was implying.

"I know what you're trying to insinuate but Sam _is_ ill, she's been looking after her parents because they've had a stomach bug over the weekend so I'm sure she's just caught that." Zoe lied, as she knew that Sam wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret. "I'll go and send her home, if she's not already going." She added before she left the room.

* * *

Zoe found Sam in the dark staffroom sipping a bottle of water.

"Sam, why don't you go home eh?" Zoe suggested. "You're obviously not very well."

"Honestly Zoe, it'll... It'll pass in an hour or so, it's never been this bad before so it can't get any worse."

"But Sam, you know what Robyn is like with gossip. It's up to you but if you stay, people are going to get suspicious. Or if you go home, then I can tell everyone that you've got a bug. It's just, I didn't think that you wanted people knowing yet." Zoe explained.

"But Tom's only going to worry." Sam sighed.

"Doesn't he know you're feeling sick?"

"Yeah, he just doesn't know how bad it is." Sam admitted.

"Well I still think that you should go home and get some rest."

"Um... Fine. I will." Sam replied reluctantly.

"Alright. And I've already told Connie that you were looking after your parents this weekend because they had a stomach bug so if anybody asks, you tell them that."

* * *

Minutes later, Sam came out in her skinny jeans and hoodie to find Tom in his scrubs by reception.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard yet but I kind of accidentally puked in ITU. Zoe's letting me go home for today so people think I've got a bug but I'm just gonna get into bed and get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah sure, you want me to give you a lift?"

"No thanks. I've called a taxi, it should be here any minute now. But thanks for the offer... I'll see you later." Sam smiled.

"Do you want me to get you anything special for dinner? I could stop on the way home and get us something." Tom offered as he followed her slowly to the main entrance.

"I'm really not hungry right now, but I might just have some soup or toast later." Sam admitted as they stepped outside where the slush and ice was clear in the immediate surrounding where they unloaded the ambulances, however as soon as the cover stopped, the ice and slush began. "That'll be my taxi, I'll see you tonight."

"Yep okay, just give me a call if you want me to come home early okay?"

"Yeah, will do." Sam replied briefly before she slowly got into the black cab.

For Sam, it seemed like the journey took forever and she felt every single bump and turn in the pit of her churning stomach. But finally, she arrived outside of her ground floor apartment, paid the driver and then locked herself in her home so that she could go and curl up in bed. Shadow greeted her owner, wagged her wail and put her ears down but unlike the usual fuss that Sam would make of her, she just gave a small pat on the head before she walked through to the bedroom, kicked her boots off and got into bed. Sam had just gotten comfortable lying on her back under the duvet when Shadow jumped on the bed and laid down, and then put her chin on Sam's stomach as though she as guarding her owner's unborn child.

* * *

Sam slowly opened her eyes to find that she was cuddling Shadow under the duvet in the middle of her double bed and Tom was squatting down besides the her.

"Hey sleeping beauty, how're you feeling?" Tom asked softly as he brushed a bit of hair out of her face.

"Not nauseous thankfully." Sam smiled as she realised that she was feeling much better than she had done before she fell asleep. "What time is it?"

"Almost 6pm. And I've got some good news for you: the gas man is here, he's just looking at the boiler now." Tom said quietly and Sam's smile widened. "What do you want for dinner? I looked it up and apparently eating more frequently can help with morning sickness in the long term so maybe you should start having five of six smaller meals per day rather than three."

"Have we got any bread?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I stopped at the bakers on the way home and got a fresh loaf. How about a toasted cheese and ham sandwich with some of that rocket salad that's in the fridge?" He suggested.

"Um... Yes please. But-"

"Not too much cheese." Sam and Tom said simultaneously.

"I know." Tom said smugly. "By the way, you've really got to stop sleeping with her and cuddling her under the duvet." Tom stated as he looked at Shadow who's ears were just pricking out of the top of the duvet at the mention of her name.

"I will. Once she's got a proper dog bed, rather than a little basket that she doesn't fit in anymore." Sam stated firmly to which Tom rolled his eyes.

"But even if she did get a bed, you'd still let her sleep on our bed anyway!" He laughed.

"Aw, don't listen to him. I'd rather share a bed every night with you than with him." Sam said childishly to Shadow.

"Do you want me to make you your dinner or shall I just do mine?" Tom remarked.

"Has he fixed the boiler yet?" Sam moaned as she rubbed her cold arms under the duvet.

"Oi, we should be feeling lucky that he's come today; it could've been tomorrow." Tom stated before he got to his feet.

"I'll have my toastie extra crispy but not burnt please." Sam requested.

"I know, and you like a little bit of the cheese to come out at the sides and then get frazzled so that it's crunchy." Tom stated. "I'll go and get dinner on but before you come out of the bedroom, you might want to brush your hair because if the gas man sees you, he'd probably run a mile." Tom retorted before he left the room. Sam rolled her eyes before she pulled back the duvet and slowly got to her feet and immediately, Shadow followed her.

"You wanna go out for a wee?" Sam asked as she made her way though the kitchen - still in her skinny jeans and hoodie with bed hair - and then opened the back door for her dog but Shadow stayed besides Sam. "Go on, stop being a clingy little so and so and just go." Sam huffed as she used her foot to gently push the border collie out into the slushy garden.

Sam was leaning against the counter, whilst Tom began to heat up the George Foreman grill to make the toasties when the British Gas man came in.

"Alright, your boiler is working fine. No spare parts needed there was just a leaky valve and the connection needed tightening up." He explained.

"Oh thank god." Sam smirked.

"Ah, Mrs Kent. How're you feeling?" He asked as he realised that the woman who he had been told was resting, had appeared.

"Um..." Sam looked confusedly at Tom, who had to explain.

"I told him about the not-so-morning sickness." He admitted.

"Oh right. I'm feeling much better now, thanks for asking." Sam gave a small smile.

"Well, all that's left to sort out is the call out charge. Will you be paying by cash or card?" He asked curiously.

"Card." Tom stated as he pulled his wallet out and then got out his card. After paying with the small handheld chip and pin machine, the man left, Tom turned the heating on and then he began cooking their dinner. "I'm pretty sure that people bought that whole 'stomach bug' lie. I mean, I didn't hear anyone gossiping. The only thing I did hear was Robyn saying about how she felt sorry for you becuase you'd been looking after your parents and now you've got it." Tom smirked. "Have you told your parents about the baby?" He asked curiously.

"Tom, I haven't told them I joined the army and served in Afghanistan, let alone married you and fell pregnant." Sam retorted as she opened the door and Shadow bounced in and then had a satisfying shake to get the water off of her fur where she had rolled in the snow.

"Why not?" Tom asked concernedly.

"Because I'm almost certain that they won't approve of you."

"Why not?" Tom protested.

"Because my dad is old fashioned, and he still thinks that I'm his little princess and that he can make all the decisions for me. The only partner of mine that my dad has ever approved of, was Dylan." Sam admitted. "I don't really care I mean, we kind of didn't exactly see eye to eye and... He wasn't the best dad." Sam shrugged.

"Did he ever..." Tom trailed off as he didn't want to upset her whilst he put his hands on her upper arms for comfort.

"Hurt me? No, no. Not physically anyway. When I say he's old fashioned, I mean he thinks that all women should be housewives, or that they should stay at home and look after children. When I told him that I wanted to be a doctor, he said word for word: 'you can't be a doctor Samantha, your little brain would explode with a career that requires high intelligence'." She explained. "That's why I hate being called Samantha, it reminds me of him." She added.

"And what about your mum?" Tom asked quietly.

"She... Well I don't think that she shared the same views as him, but she refused to stand up for herself, or for me. When she fell pregnant with me, she quit her job and never worked again until I went to university. She just stayed at home, and cooked and cleaned. It's not that she was a bad mum but... Well she can't be a great mum if she didn't support me when I told her I wanted to be a doctor no matter what. Can she?" Sam asked timidly.

"I'm hardly one to go for for advice about parents am I?" Tom chuckled halfheartedly.

"I don't want them coming in and ruining my life again Tom. And I don't want them ruining our baby's life either." She mumbled.

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. If you say you don't want your parents to know, then they won't." Tom said reassuringly before he wrapped his arms around her back and they gently swayed from side to side for a little while, before Sam broke the silence.

"Can you start dinner now because I've barely eaten all day and I'm starving." Sam admitted into Tom's chest and he chuckled as he pulled away.

"Go on, go and watch TV or whatever, and I'll bring it in for you in a minute." Tom said kindly.

"Can I have some orange juice with it please?"

"Yeah sure."

* * *

"How about, we go up to London on a Saturday or Sunday some time soon?" Tom suggested as he stroked Sam's hair whilst they cuddled on the sofa, watching the evening news in the dark as Sam didn't let Tom get up to turn the lights on when it got dark because he was too comfy. "We could get the train, do some shopping, have a nice picnic in Hyde park or something."

"Sounds nice but I'd rather have the whole day out, in which case it'd be best if we waited until the morning sickness has passed yeah?"

"Yeah, of course. We can go whenever." Tom replied. "You wanna go to bed?"

"What's the time?" Sam asked exhaustedly.

"It doesn't matter what the time is; you go to be whenever you are tired." Tom said sternly as he knew that she didn't want to be a lightweight because she didn't want to let the pregnancy affect her too much though it was clearly already tiring her down.

"Go on then." Sam sighed as she slowly sat up and then got up off of the sofa.

"You'll be feeling better by the second trimester - the morning sickness will have hopefully stopped, and you won't need the toilet as much and you won't be as tired." Tom said kindly as they both went to their bedroom to get ready for bedtime.

"I know." Sam muttered.

The both soon got into bed, under the duvet with Shadow curled up on the end of the bed by their feet whilst Tom held Sam in his arms in the dark room.

"You do know that if there's anything that you want or need, or if you want to talk about something, or you want me to do something for you, anything at all, you can ask me right? Or you can speak to me because I am here for you every step of the way." Tom said reassuringly.

"I know, and thank you." Sam whispered into his chest.

"You wanna talk about baby names?" He asked, but as he peered through the darkness, he could see that Sam had her eyes closed. He knew that she hadn't fallen asleep in such a short space of time because she had spoken just moments ago. But she clearly was too tired to discuss names so he pretended that he believed that she was asleep, before they both actually drifted off into the land of dreams...

* * *

**Coming up: It's Valentines day, but how will Sam and Tom be spending it? **

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**Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for all the reviews everyone :) They're all appreciated :)**

* * *

**Saturday 14th February 2015**

Sam laid with her eyes closed as Tom kissed the back of her neck and gently stroked her arm.

"Happy Valentines day." He whispered - they had both agreed not to bother spending money on a card or present for each other as they wanted to save it for their child - not that they had to worry about money of course because they were both on brilliant salaries and Sam had even more in her savings than Tom because the army had paid for her to go to medical school so she had no student debts.

"Mm." She mumbled as she tried to focus on something other than the queasy feeling in her stomach.

"Now, I would be romantic and cook a full English for you but I'm guessing you'd rather I didn't." He concluded.

"Mmhmm."

"How sick do you feel on a scale of one to ten?" He asked curiously as his 10 week pregnant wife had experienced morning sickness every morning since she had been six weeks gone.

"Four?" Sam replied questioningly as she reluctantly opened her eyes to see Tom leaning over her - a sight that she wanted to wake up to every morning for the rest of her life.

"Okay, so it's not too bad." He said softly as he asked her the same question every morning, and sometimes she had replied with a sarcastic 'twelve'. "What do you want to do today? Have a lie in?" He asked.

"I'll get up soon." She mumbled. "Maybe later, we could drive out of town a little bit and take Shadow for a nice long walk somewhere quiet." She suggested.

"Sounds lovely. How about I pop to tescos now, and get a couple of bits so that we can have a picnic?"

"Okay. But nothing too..." She trailed off as she tried to find the right word.

"Unhealthy, but not too healthy either because you want a treat, but nothing too sugary or fatty either." Tom said and Sam raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Don't look so surprised, I know you better than you think." He said smugly. "Go on, you have a nice lie in, and I'll go and sort out our lunch. Any requests?" He asked as he got out of bed.

"Can you get a French stick? And maybe some nice crisps please?"

"What flavour crisps? Because some 'nice' crisps is a bit vague." Tom stated.

"Um... Salt and vinegar, or ready salted please."

"Sure. I'll be back soon, okay." Tom had pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt, so he gently kissed Sam on the forehead and then went to he doorway. "Ring me if you want me to come home. And if you vomit, I want you to tell me when I get home okay?" He said sternly.

"I will, now let me sleep." Sam moaned as she grabbed one of Tom's pillows and covered her face with it. Tom chuckled before he grabbed his coat, keys and wallet, and left the apartment.

* * *

Sam was alone, lying in bed when she decided that she could no longer hold her bladder and she had to go to the toilet. After washing her hands, she glanced in the mirror, properly for the first time in ages and looked down at her abdomen. Her white vest top and black pyjamas bottoms that she had slept in were comfortably tight, and do as she looked in the mirror, she could see that her baby was already changing her body. Slowly, she brought her hands up to her top, but she paused before she eventually rested her hands on her abdomen to feel her child. She found it odd that inside her was a fully developed foetus, and all it had left to do was grow and grow and grow, into a beautiful baby. Inside her, was another beating heart - one so much tinier than hers. And that thought was daunting: she alone, was responsible for providing her baby with the best nutrients possible. Only it wasn't just hers, it was Tom's too. She was going to have to give Tom the perfectly healthy child that he wanted, but would such an emotional roller coaster give him what he wanted, if she was the one in charge?

* * *

It was late February, and so it was still quite chilly. But thankfully it wasn't raining and it was actually a little bit sunny, so they were both wrapped in plenty of layers when they sat down at an old picnic bench in a forest, in the middle of nowhere, where they had taken Shadow for a long walk.

"Right, now this is where I find out if I've got all the wrong foods wrong, or if it's perfect." Tom stated as he lifted his rucksack on the table whilst Shadow laid down on the floor besides Sam to catch her breath back.

"Well I'm just really hungry so you can't go too far wrong as long as it's edible." Sam replied bluntly.

"Right. We've got tomato soup, with French stick to dip in it. Salt and balsamic vinegar crisps for a little snack, and for pudding, we've got tescos finest clotted cream fudge." Tom explained as he put the large flask out on the table. Along with a plastic container filled with slices of lightly buttered French stick, a family sized bag of Kettle crisps and a bag of individually wrapped fudge.

"And I like all of that so 10 out of 10, well done." Sam said patronisingly and Tom let out a sigh of relief. He poured some steaming soup into the two plastic mugs and then passed one to Sam as they begun dipping the French stick slices into the soup and eating the meal that put a warm feeling inside of them. "Happy Valentines day by the way, I was too tired to say it earlier." Sam admitted.

"Happy Valentines day." Tom grinned. "You're glowing." He said softly.

"No, I'm shiny. My face is greasy no matter how many times I wash it." Sam stated bluntly.

"Well then we can stop in tescos on the way home and get you a new face wash." Tom said kindly. "Though we might have to get you a spot cream as well." He had to stifle a laugh as he looked at the white head on her chin.

"I forgotten how much they hurt." Sam admitted. "I went to squeeze it this morning but it really bloody hurt."

"Oi, watch the language." Tom scalded.

"Tom my voice is distorted by amniotic fluid, she can't hear what I'm actually saying." Sam replied.

"'_She_'?"

"What?"

"You said 'she'." Tom smiled.

"Did I? Oh well, I suppose it's better to say she, than it." Sam shrugged.

"So you want a girl then?"

"I don't know." Sam moaned. "I don't want to say a prefer a gender and then get the other gender because that'll sound like I don't want them."

"Hey, it's only me here; no one else is going to find out and judge you. And just because you'd prefer a girl to a boy, doesn't mean that you'd love a boy any less." Tom said reassuringly. "If I'm honest, I've always wanted at least one boy and one girl, but for this one, I'd rather have a boy. But just becuase I've said that, doesn't mean I won't love our baby if she's a girl." Tom explained.

"'For this one'?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "What on earth makes you think that I want to go through this all again?" Sam retorted.

"Ah, you wait. As soon as you give birth and you get our beautiful baby in your arms, your heart will melt and you'll be ready to do it again in a split second." Tom stated. "Speaking of which, I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Well that sound ominous." Sam said worriedly.

"No it's nothing terrible, I just... I'm not entirely sure how comfortable you're going to be going into labour-"

"I would imagine I'm going to be very uncomfortable, to say the least, when I'm in labour." Sam stated.

"No, I mean. I'm not sure how comfortable you're going to be about your body with the midwife putting her hand up there and everything, so I don't know if you would let me physically watch our child being born... Because I want to be the first person who touches them and then puts them onto your chest, I don't want some medical professional holding our baby first. And I want to cut the umbilical chord." He explained slowly.

"You are a medical professional." Sam quipped.

"You know what I mean."

"So you want to deliver the baby basically, and then cut the umbilical cord?" Sam said simply.

"Yes."

"Yeah, that fine; it's nothing you haven't seen before." Sam winked and Tom's anxious face broke into a smile.

"Thank you, really it means a lot." He said sincerely.

"It's fine. But just to make this clear, you're not putting your 'hand up there', as you put it. Not even once." Sam said sternly and Tom just chuckled to himself.

* * *

In the evening, Sam and Tom were sitting watching a romantic movie that had just come to and end after a peaceful Valentines day.

"I know we haven't been very intimate recently, but... Well how about we go to the bedroom and make love?" Sam suggested as she put a hand on his chest.

"Wow, now tell me what you really want." Tom joked. They hadn't had sex since their baby had been conceived 8 weeks ago because since then, Sam had either been too nauseous or too tired, or her breasts were too sore so she hadn't been in the mood. But after a relaxing day, she hadn't used a lot of energy, and it was evening which was when she tended not to feel sick, and her chest felt fine for once so she felt that Tom had been so patient with her, and he deserved something more intimate than cuddling in bed or kissing. "But seriously, that sounds nice." He said softly. "You sure it's what _you_ want?"

"Of course it's what I want." Sam said bluntly.

"Oh I get it. This is your hormones making you extremely horn-"

"Do you want to make love? Yes or no?!" Sam demanded because she really didn't want Tom thinking that pregnancy was affecting her in that way.

"Alright, of course I want to." Tom chuckled as he scooped Sam up in his arms and then carefully carried her through to the bedroom.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam's first antenatal appointment with her first ultrasound at 12 weeks! **

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Friday 27th February 2015**

Sam and Tom were sat in a waiting room on the maternity ward, just a floor above their workplace, as they waited for their first antenatal appointment for twelve weeks gestation.

"So you we're definitely going to tell everyone after this, yeah?"

"Yeah. I think we've kept it a secret for long enough." Sam nodded. She had become paranoid at work that people could tell because of her expanding figure. And so whenever she needed something from a top shelf, Fletch or Tom always helped her out because she didn't want her scrub shirt to come up. However, her bump had only just began to look like a bump, rather than excess weight on her abdomen in the recent week or two.

"How do you want to tell them?" He asked curiously as he placed a hand on her thigh to keep her relaxed for her appointment that he knew she was slightly nervous for.

"At the end of the shift in the staff room. That way, they'll have the weekend to get used to the news and then they won't treat me any differently." Sam replied confidently - she had thoroughly thought it through. "But I want you to say it, not me." She added.

"Yeah, I want me to say it too." Tom smiled and and sam couldn't help but smirk. "Is there anything in particular that you want me to say?"

"Don't say that I'm 12 weeks, I want to see how far people think I'm gone."

"Okay." He nodded. "You looking forward to tomorrow?" He asked as he remembered their plan to go to London for the day.

"I'm looking forward to getting this over and done with so that I can go to the toilet." Sam stared as she uncrossed her legs, and then recrossed them the other way around.

"So you don't feel sick at all?" Tom queried as she had been nauseous, every morning for weeks. But fortunately, it had appeared to have stopped on the morning of her first scan.

"No, I feel fine." Sam smiled.

"Mrs Kent? I'm Sandra and I'll be your midwife for today. If you'd like to follow me please." A middle aged woman in pale blue scrubs smiled before Sam and Tom followed her to a small consult room.

* * *

After extensive questions about Sam, and any family history that she could give - which wasn't much - she had gotten onto the examination bed, and Tom sat besides her as they prepared to see their baby on ultrasound for the first time. It had taken a lot of will power from Sam not to give herself an ultrasound at work, but because none of her colleagues knew that she was pregnant except for Fletch and Zoe, she had decided that it was too risky in case she was caught.

"Okay, can you roll your top up for me please?" Sandra asked. Slowly, Sam unzipped her dark blue hoodie, and then rolled up her white vest top revealing her perfectly rounded tiny bump of flawless, clear skin without any sign of a single stretch mark - not yet anyway. "And just tuck this tissue in your trousers to keep them clean. Lovely. Now this might be a bit cold." She warned before she gently placed the transducer covered in a lubricant on Sam's abdomen. "Wow, that's a really clear picture." She said reassuringly as she kept the probe still, and looked at the screen before she turned it at an angle so that Sam and Tom could see it. "Right, this is the amniotic sac, and-"

"We know, we're both doctors." Sam stated softly as she couldn't take her eyes off of the screen.

"Oi right. Do you work in this hospital?" She asked curiously. She waited for answer but Sam seemed mesmerised by the screen where she could see the couple of pixels that were flickering inside of her baby, that she knew was her baby's beating heart.

"We work down in the ED." Tom replied.

"Oh right. That must be a stressful job."

"It's more... Exciting, than stressful." Tom replied and he couldn't help but smile as Sam was still staring at the screen. Unfortunately, it was too early to determine gender because the genitals would be swollen from Sam's hormones but she still couldn't stop looking at the image of her baby. "It's amazing, isn't it?" Tom said softly as he took Sam's hand in hers. "Wow, you're not speechless, are you?" He joked.

"No I just, don't know what to say." Sam admitted.

"So you're speechless." Tom concluded.

"Would you like a copy of the scan?" Sandra asked quietly.

"Yeah, two please." Tom replied as he wanted to have a back up image of something that he would never see again - his first child's scan.

"Okay, I'll get that sorted for you."

* * *

"Zoe, what's all this about? We wanna go home, it's Friday night." Fletch moaned as the entire ED staff had gathered in the staff room for a meeting.

"Oi, don't be so rude. And it's only gonna be quick so I'm going to hand over to Sam and Tom." Zoe stated and everyone turned around to face the couple, leaving Fletch to feel regretful for moaning as he realised what they were staying behind for.

"Okay um, well I don't want to keep you waiting, so I'm just going to get to the point." Tom began. "My beautiful wife is pregnant." He announced which caused Sam to blush and shy away so he put his arms around her from behind and kept her facing the group.

"That's so exciting!" Robyn squealed.

"Congratulations." Tess smiled.

"How far gone are you?" Robyn demanded happily.

"How far do you think I am?" Sam asked curiously as she unzipped her hoodie to show her tight white vest top. "And I promise I won't get upset, I just want to know what you think, be honest." She added.

"Um... Eight weeks?" Robyn guessed.

"Yeah I'd say eight weeks." Rita smiled.

"Nah, I'd say she's full term, look at her." Max joked which caused Sam to throw a cushion from the sofa at him which he caught.

"I'm 12 weeks." Sam stated.

"Already? Wow, you're small for 12 weeks Sam." Dixie stated.

"Thanks." Sam said sheepishly.

"Congratulations!" Robyn smiled as she went to hug Sam but Sam ducked her head under Tom's chin, turned around and buried her head in his chest as she grimaced at the thought of being hugged to death.

"Sorry, she's not a hug kind of person." Tom chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Sam and rubbed her back.

"Right c'mon you lot, let's go and wet the baby's head." Fletch joked.

"Er, we're going up to London tomorrow and we aren't drinking anyway so we'll give it a miss." Tom stated and Sam silently let out a sigh of relief as she turned around and slipped out of Tom's hold.

"Alright, well have a good weekend yeah?" Fletch said as he pulled his coat on and everyone began to leave the crowded room.

"Yeah, we will do." Tom smiled. "Oh um, that reminds me, would you be able to pop around our place tomorrow during the day and let Shadow out for a wee?"

"Yeah sure. No problem." Fletch nodded.

"Brilliant. C'mon then sleepy head, I think someone needs an early night." Tom said as he put his arm around Sam's shoulder and then began to leave the building.

* * *

"What do you want for dinner?" Tom asked as Sam went straight through to the living room and planked herself down on the sofa.

"Um... Just something small please."

"Hey." Tom said softly as he squatted down in front of her so that she was looking down at him. "You're eating for two now and you can't have eaten the amount of calories that you should've today."

"I'm not really hungry to be honest, I just feel sluggish." Sam muttered before she ran her hands over her face and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Loss of appetite?" He queried and Sam slowly nodded. "Alright, how about you tell me what meal you would kill for right now, have a little nap, and by the time you wake up, I'll have cooked it for us. Yeah?" He suggested.

"Honestly Tom, you don't have to-"

"No but I _want_ to." Tom said clearly. "You're the one who's carrying our baby, so I am here for you. Whatever you want, I'll do my best to make you happy okay? So just tell me what you really want to eat."

"Um... Please, I'd just be happy with a bowl of cereals later on, and then I'll probably pig out tomorrow when we go to London." Sam stated.

"Shadow, tell Sam that she needs to eat." Tom ordered and the dog came bounding in before she curled up next to Sam on the sofa.

"Tom please. Just... I really don't want to eat, and you don't understand how I'm feeling so you can't just try and make me eat. I know you're only trying to be nice to me but I'm not hungry." Sam explained.

"Okay. Alright, and I'll never try to make you eat, I'm just being persuasive." Tom said sheepishly before Sam yawned. "Wow, pregnancy is really wearing you out isn't it?" He said softly as he placed his hands on her thighs. "Why don't we postpone the trip to London? It doesn't matter and we can go in a couple of weeks."

"No, I'm looking forward to it. I'll be fine if I have an early night tonight."

* * *

**8pm**

Tom was sitting by himself, watching the TV after he had tucked Sam into bed two hours ago. Only he was sure that he had heard something in the kitchen, before Sam came and sat next to him on the sofa with a bowl of museli. And as per usual, Shadow had been in bed with Sam, and the dog had followed her and sat next to her on the sofa.

"That dog doesn't stop following you." Tom joked quietly, whilst Sam began eating. "You feeling any better?"

"Yes, thanks. But I'm only going to eat this and then I'm gonna go back to bed." She admitted.

"Okay, I'll come with you; I want to be fully rested for our day out tomorrow."

"I'm sorry if I'm grumpy or snappy with you. I only realise what I've done or said, _after_ it's happened." Sam admitted.

"Don't be sorry. Your hormones are a complete mess at the moment. And even if there wasn't the hormone problem, I'd still accept you being moody because your body is under so much stress right now, and I can't pretend to understand what you're going through. But I can certainly try to make your life as easy as possible."

"And thank you for being there for me. Even little things like offering to make dinner for me, I do appreciate it."

"Isn't this the part of our emotional conversation where you start crying on my shoulder?" Tom joked.

"I haven't cried in my pregnancy so far, and I'm not going to cry throughout my entire pregnancy." Sam said sternly.

"Yeah right." Tom laughed.

"I won't! From conception to birth, I won't cry." She repeated.

"We'll see." Tom smiled as he put his arm around her shoulder. Slowly, Sam finished her bowl of museli, before the pair of them went and got into bed. And immediately after they had settled down, Shadow came and curled up between Sam and Tom's feet at the bottoms of the bed, as usual.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom go to London together to get some shopping done.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Saturday 28th February 2015**

After taking a 1 hour and 45 minute train from Bristol to London Paddington station, Sam and Tom arrived in the busy capital at 10am. They left the train station, and stood on the pavement to take a break whilst the teaming street had people running up and down it, but Tom ensured that Sam was safe from being bumped out of the way as he kept her between himself and an advertising board. He was taking every precaution to keep her safe from any risks so much so that he had taken a rucksack with their things in to save her from carrying a handbag in case she was mugged for it - sure he was being paranoid, but he'd rather be extra safe for his wife and his baby, than to not be safe and let something happen to them.

"Right, now we can either get a taxi to Regent's street, or we can take a 15 minute walk, your choice." Tom stated as he was in charge of the transport for the day.

"We'll walk." Sam stated.

"Alright then, this way." He smiled as he linked arms with her and they began making their way through the crowds. Thankfully, even though it was only the end of February, it had turned out to be quite sunny and just warm enough for them to leave their coats at home. Though because spring was coming early, Sam had worried about a hot summer whilst she would be heavily pregnant - and it wasn't a nice thought.

* * *

"Right, where do you want to go first?" He asked curiously as they arrived on the corner of Regent's street which was quite busy for a Saturday morning, but thankfully, it was less busy than the area around the train station that they had exited minutes ago.

"H&M." Sam replied. "I've looked online and they've got a nice maternity range so I can spend my voucher that you got me for my birthday." Sam explained. "I'm alright for shirts at the moment, it's just trying to find jeans that I can actually button up. These ones I have to breathe in for."

Tom chuckled before before they entered the three floored shop and went upstairs to the maternity range. After trying on quite a lot of clothes, Sam had decided on getting 3 pairs of low waisted skinny jeans, some leggings, a cardigan and a few jersey tops which had gone over the price of her voucher but Tom had reassured her that it was fine.

"Why don't you have a look at the bras?" Tom suggested to which Sam frowned in confusion. "Well you've had a sore chest, why don't you get some more supportive bras. Plus I can't be the only one that's noticed that your current bras are now too tight." Tom stated as he glanced down at Sam's blue hoodie. Sam twisted her lips before she went over to the lingerie section and Tom followed her with the basket of clothes. "Hey, how about these?" Tom smirked as he picked up a hanger with three pairs of string black lace briefs on it.

"Nah, I don't think they'd suit your body shape very well." Sam said sarcastically.

"Haha. I meant that they were for you."

"I know, and I was being sarcastic."

* * *

"Right, shall we split up for a while so that you can get some shopping?" Sam suggested as they exited the shop with two H&M bags.

"I'm fine, honestly." Tom replied, as he wasn't sure of splitting up from his pregnant wife in such a busy street.

"No really, I want to get some bits by myself." Sam admitted as she glanced over to the Boots store.

"You're not embarrassed are you?" He smirked as usually, she was perfectly open about everything to do with her body.

"No I just don't think that you're going to want to spend 10 minutes waiting while I try and find a pack of panty liners that I like." Sam retorted. "C'mon, we can split up, and then meet for lunch yeah?"

"Um... I suppose so but be careful yeah? Try and stay out of the crowds and-"

"Tom, I'll be fine." Sam interrupted. "I've got my purse and I've got my phone so I can call you if I need you."

"Okay. Where do you want to meet?" He asked.

"By the pizza express that we saw by the train station. And if we meet around 2pm, then the lunch rush would've died down too and we can have a meal in there." Sam replied.

"That gives you three and a half hours!"

"Well done, you can do simple numeracy." Sam said patronisingly.

"Right, fine. We'll meet outside pizza express at 2pm, and just give me a call after a couple of hours and let me know how you're getting on yeah?"

"I will." Sam huffed. "See you later." Tom pecked Sam on the forehead before he watched her walk towards the traffic lights so that she could safely cross the road to Boots.

Sam entered Boots with nothing in her hands because Tom had been carrying her H&M bags, so she grabbed a basket and walked down the first aisle. Unfortunately, pregnancy had caused her to have greasy skin and she had been using a neutrogena cleansing lotion on her face twice a day so she got some more of that, and another small tube of spot cream before she moved on to the feminine essentials aisle. She had never actually used panty liners before because she had never required them, however she was beginning to need them more and more as almost every day she was getting discharge and she wanted protection for it. But she didn't want anyone to be able to see that she was wearing them so she got two boxes of the thinnest ones she could find.

Pregnancy had certainly heightened her sense of smells, and she loved finding new pleasant ones every day. She had been craving nice smells so badly that she had smelt some of the herbs and spices in the cupboard from when Tom had disastrously attempted to cook a curry from scratch, and she absolutely loved the smell of cumin seeds and smoked paprika. So when she found the shampoo and conditioner section, she couldn't help but pause and smell some of them and smile at the sweet, soothing aromas rather than the polluted air outside. She soon found the bath lotions and once she smelt the radox lavender sleep easy bath gel, she immediately had to put it in the basket.

With her basket full of toiletries, she was almost finished when she found the antacids. She had only had heartburn a handful of times and even then, it had only been nothing major. But she knew that at only 12 weeks gone, it was only going to get worse, so she picked up a bottle of dual action Gaviscon that was safe to use during pregnancy, before she made her way to check out.

* * *

Tom was sat in Costa Coffee, having a cappuccino with a Belgian chocolate brownie because he loved the atmosphere and the smell of sitting in an armchair in a coffee shop, and it wasn't fair to make Sam sit in there when she couldn't have a coffee unless she didn't have any caffeine for the rest of the day, and she just didn't want to take the risk so he took the opportunity whilst they had split up. He had bought two caramel chocolate shortbread squares from the shop too and they were wrapped up in his rucksack for the 2 hour journey home on the train with his wife.

He had all the clothes that he needed, and to be honest, he absolutely hated clothes shopping so he had decided to spend his time in Regent's street to get a few presents for Sam to cheer her up because he felt bad that carrying his baby was having such an effect on his wife. However, he wanted to give Sam the bag of gifts when she was feeling really bad and she appeared to be alright whilst on their trip to London, so he had gotten a carrier bag from H&M to hide them in.

He was just taking a bite of his brownie when he saw Sam walk into the shop and his heart skipped a beat before he ducked his head and hoped that she wouldn't see him because he had not yet put her presents in the H&M bag, and instead they were all in their individual bags, including one from Hamleys and one from Godiva chocolate shop so he didn't want her seeing him. He wondered if she was secretly snacking on cakes and chocolate whilst he wasn't there - the thought of which made him smirk. However, he was happy to see that she was smiling, and that she was getting a mango and passion fruit ice drink to go, so he wouldn't have to hide for long.

It seemed like forever, when it was really only a couple of minutes as she grabbed her beverage, paid the worker and then left the café, leaving Tom to let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

**2pm**

"Hello beautiful." Tom smiled as Sam walked up to him with her hands full of shopping bags outside the pizza express where there was a queue outside. "You've been busy." He smirked at the amount of things she had gotten. "Here, I'll take them for you." Sam's arms were aching so she had no objection as she handed all of the bags over to Tom, who then had both of his hands full.

"Ugh, there's a queue." Sam moaned.

"Well it's a good job that I came by and reserved a table earlier then isn't it?" Tom said smugly and Sam's face lit up as she no longer had the thought of waiting in another queue in her mind.

* * *

"Here are your drinks. I'll be back shortly with your starter and then I'll take your orders." The waitress smiled before she left Sam and Tom who were sitting at a table for two with a glass of lemonade each, and their shopping bags cluttering their feet below them after they had ordered dough balls to share for their starter.

"So what did you get then?" Tom asked curiously.

"Some new trainers for work, I got some walking boots for when we take Shadow out, some more tops from river island, a new scarf, sunglasses, and I got this blue and white stripy gym duffle bag that I can use for the gym, and I can use it for my birth bag and I can use it as a changing bag too." Sam explained. "What did you get?"

"A few bits from H&M and that's about it really." Tom lied as he only had the one carrier bag and he didn't want to seem suspicious.

"Well then what did you do for 3 and a half hours?" Sam demanded.

"I had a coffee from costa, and then I went for a walk in Hyde park." He lied. "I did have a look around the shops but you know I hate shopping." He shrugged. "Right c'mon, what do you want for lunch?" He asked as he looked at the menu. "Wait, let me guess. You want the... Pollo pesto pasta. And for dessert, you want the summer pudding."

"How on earth could you have possibly known that I was going to order that?" Sam laughed as he had gotten it exactly right.

"Because I know you wouldn't have a massive pizza to yourself because you don't like lots of cheese. So that narrowed it down to the pastas and the salads, and I know you wouldn't order the salad for lunch because we've got a long journey home and that wouldn't fill you up. So it was either pollo pesto or the lasagne, and lasagne is too cheesy. And for the dessert, you always choose something with fruit in it, and the summer pudding is served with Mascarpone and you love mascarpone." Tom explained and Sam squinted her eyes at him.

"Fine, let me guess what you're going to have."

"Please, don't embarrass yourself, you wouldn't have a clue." Tom said smugly.

"Alright fine, I'm not even gonna bother." Sam huffed before she took a sip of her lemonade.

* * *

**5pm**

They were just the next stop away from Holby train station after a long day out in a carriage alone, with no other passengers as they were at the back of the train. Their shopping bags took up three seats alone, whilst Sam was lying horizontally across 5 of them, and she was fast asleep.

"Sleepy head, we're nearly home." Tom whispered as he crouched down in front of her. "Cmon, open those eyes." He smiled as he tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Sam... Sam..." He said softly but she was clearly in a deep sleep as she didn't even stir. "Sam your waters have broke." Tom said loudly and Sam's eyes flickered open as she looked at him in confusion.

"What did you say?" She croaked.

"I said we're nearly home." He chuckled softly as Sam stretched her arms out and then sat up properly. "What do you want for dinner? We can have something a little bit later to fill you up so that you're not in the kitchen at midnight looking in the cupboards for something to eat." He smirked.

"I've never done that!" Sam protested.

"You did it last night." Tom laughed. "I just pretended to be asleep when you got back into bed so that you weren't embarrassed." He stated as he picked up the shopping bags into his hands so that they were ready to get off of the train when they reached Holby.

"Well I blame your baby for making me hungry." Sam retorted.

"Fair enough." Tom shrugged. "So what do you want for dinner?"

"Not salad. I am bored out of my mind with salad." Sam said firmly.

"Yeah, I said what _do_ you want for dinner, not what don't you want for dinner."

"Okay... Um...something with smoked salmon."

"How about I rustle something up with smoked salmon, philidelphia, chives and spaghetti?" Tom suggested.

"As long as I don't have to cook it, sounds lovely." Sam stated as she got to her feet. "Woah-"

"Careful, I've got you." Tom said reassuringly as the train suddenly came to a halt and Sam lost her balance, but she fell into Tom's chest and he kept her upright.

"Thank you." She smiled as the train stopped completely and the pair got off onto the platform with their bags.

* * *

Sam was having a little difficulty sleeping despite having quite an active day, but she just felt uncomfortable. So Tom had gotten Sam comfortable in bed without the duvet in case she got too hot because she was in her onesie, and they had the heating on, and he sat at the end of the bed giving her swollen ankles a rub.

"Thank you for making dinner by they way. It was surprisingly nice." Sam admitted as she stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to overcome her.

"You should never underestimate my cooking skills." He said smugly.

"Says the one who thinks that a fish finger sandwich is a meal." Sam retorted.

"That's a meal when I can't be bothered to cook. When I put my mind to it, I can usually create something edible. And speaking of edible, I still can't believe she chewed my slipper into a million pieces." Tom moaned as Shadow entered the room, jumped up on the bed and curled up on Tom's pillows.

"Well hey, we know she likes cheese so leaving your slippers within sniffing distance of her was clearly a mistake." Sam joked halfheartedly. "And to be honest, I hated your slippers anyway; they looked stupid and made you look like a 90 year old."

"Well you don't have to look at my feet do you?" Tom protested.

"No, but now that you've only got one slipper left, I won't have any problem with doing so." Sam smiled.

"Right, foot rub is over. You, get off of my pillows now." Tom ordered sternly as he stood up and walked around to his side of the bed. Shadow gave a small whine as she looked at Tom with her sad puppy eyes, which always managed to melt Sam, but they rarely worked on Tom. "No. You ripped my slipper to smithereens so you're in the dog house - no pun intended." Tom remarked as he gently pushed the border collie off of the bed and onto the floor.

"Shadow." Sam whispered as she patted the mattress by her feet. The dog jumped back up and curled up by Sam's feet so Tom watched as both females happily settled down for the night.

"I give up." Tom muttered before he flicked the light out.

* * *

**Coming up: Tom helps Sam to write out her birth plan but then she is involved in a brawl in the ED.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Monday 5th April 2015**

"Why did I agree to this?" Sam moaned as she sat on the sofa whilst Tom sat opposite her on the floor, leaning on the small coffee table, ready to write down her birth plan.

"Becuase one: I wouldn't stop pestering you, and two: you're 18 weeks pregnant and you haven't even started your birth plan." Tom stated. It was a Monday evening, and after work, Sam had changed straight into a pair of grey tracksuits, a jersey shirt, a blue cardigan and a pair of thick socks so that she was comfortable. So now she was sat on the sofa with her rounded bump resting on her thighs - not that she had a choice about it.

"Right, fire away the questions, I want to get this over and done with, and then I'm going to bed." Sam ordered.

"Did I forget to mention that the NHS print out of the birth plan is 10 pages long?" Tom smirked. "Anyway, let's get on. Your name is Samantha Kent, and your due date is..."

"Please tell me you know when our baby's due date is." Sam huffed as Tom appeared to be thinking.

"Of course I do. It's the..."

"6th September 2015." Sam stated sternly and Tom wrote it down in the correct box.

"Okay. First question: where would you like to give birth? At home, in a hospital maternity ward, in a special maternity unit, or are you not sure yet?" He asked.

"Holby City General Hospital Maternity ward." Sam stated and she watched Tom jot it down.

"Okay, tick boxes. I would like my partner/companion to be with me during labour, I would not like my partner/companion to be with me during labour, or I am not sure yet." Tom listed.

"The first one, obviously."

"Wonderful." Tom smiled as he turned the page of the birth plan. "Right, what is the name of your birthing partner? Shall I put 'my loving, handsome husband Dr Tom-"

"Just put Tom Kent." Sam ordered and Tom did as he was told, as he realised that she was in no mood for joking about.

"Am I allowed to be with you if you have forceps or a vacuum used to assist the delivery?"

"Yes." Sam nodded.

"Am I allowed to stay with you if you have an emergency cesarean?"

"Yeah." Sam mumbled as the thought of having her baby sliced out of her, and being beyond her control seemed daunting.

"Ah, now would you like to use a birthing pool, LDRP room, or any other specialist facilities?" Tom asked curiously.

"Probably not gonna use a birthing pool so put no for that one, but what's a LDRP room?" Sam asked confusedly.

"It stands for labour, delivery, recovery and postnatal room which is basically where you would stay in the same room from your admission to you and our baby's discharge from the hospital." Tom explained.

"Mm. Yeah, I want to stay in one of them." Sam nodded.

"But it does say if possible, so you're only going to get one of those rooms if it's available." Tom warned. "Would you like to keep active during labour? Yes, no, don't mind or not sure?"

"Yes, definitely." Sam nodded as she rested her hands on her bump.

"Okay, ah now you've got to choose your favourite positions." Tom said as he showed Sam the list of several different positions.

"Just put 'I don't know' because I won't know until I'm actually in labour, plus I'll probably be fidgeting the entire time anyway."

"Okay. Right, would you like your baby lifted straight on to your chest, or cleaned first? And there's a box underneath it saying anything that you would like to happen immediately after the birth so can I put that you want me to deliver the baby and that I can cut the umbilical chord?"

"Yeah sure. But I don't want the cord to be clamped straight away, I want to leave it for a few minutes for the nutrients, blood and stem cells to get into our baby before you cut it." Sam stated.

"Okay." He nodded and he took a few minutes to write a short paragraph on the birth plan explaining Sam's wishes. "And what are your views on having nurses, midwives and doctors that are training, coming to watch the birth?"

"No, I don't want them. I know before I was pregnant I'd probably say yes but... I dunno, I just want it to be me, you, a midwife and our baby." Sam explained.

"You don't have to come up with reasons, I agree with you." Tom said reassuringly. "Right, what would you like to use as pain relief?"

"Entonox. I'm not having a epidural, or injections. And no matter what I say, do not let me have an epidural."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be dead from the waist down in the first few hours of our child's life and I want to be able to move about."

"Okay, ooh here's the fun bit. What are your views on having an episiotomy if necessary?" Tom smirked.

"If it's best for our baby, then I'm fine with it." Sam sighed.

"Aw, she's gone soft already." Tom smirked. "What are your preferences about delivering the placenta?" Tom asked quickly to prevent her from moaning that she had not gone soft.

"I don't have any preferences." Sam shrugged.

"Well you want it to come out naturally don't you?"

"Yeah."

"I'll put that then... Would you like to breastfeed or bottle feed?" Tom asked as he was really hopeful that Sam would breastfeed because he knew the benefits of it, but he didn't want to force her into doing something that she didn't want to.

"Breastfeed, duh." She replied bluntly which caused Tom to smile.

"Okay, final thing. Do you you have any general comments about the birth that you want to put in a box?" Tom asked.

"I don't want to be on a ward, I want to be in a quiet room, no noises just me and you."

"Well you know that that might not be possible, but I'll still put that." Tom nodded.

"Can I go to bed now?"

"Of course you can." Tom smirked as Sam heaved herself off of the sofa and then walked into the bedroom. He loved that she had a slight waddle to her walk now as her centre of balance had been changed, but he knew that she absolutely hated it. He put her birth plan in a blue folder that contained all of the leaflets that they had gotten at their first appointment, and it had the two twelve weeks scans in there too. And once he had put it safely in a draw, he went into the bedroom where Sam was laying on top of the duvet in her tracksuits and cardigan. "You not wanna get changed into your pyjamas or get under the duvet no?" Tom smiled. Sam didn't even bother opening her eyes as she grabbed Tom's side of the duvet and pulled it over her so that he had no covers on his side of the bed, and she was completely wrapped in the duvet.

* * *

**Tuesday 6th April, 8:30am**

Tom and Fletch were discussing a patient's care at the nurses station, when Sam arrived in her annoyingly tight scrubs with a bottle of water.

"Have management still not gotten your new scrubs yet?" Tom asked.

"No." Sam grumbled before she took a sip from her bottle of water.

"All you do is drink and pee."Tom joked and fletch couldn't help but smirk.

"And I'm currently developing your first child so my body is doing a lot more than you give me credit for."Sam said sternly.

"Oh no, Sam I was joking, of course I know you're under a lot of-

"Tom shut up, I'm not gonna start crying at every little thing you say." Sam stated as she put her water on the desk, grabbed a patient's file and headed towards reception to collect her first patient of the day. She opened a door, only her path was blocked by two young females arguing.

"Don't you dare blame me you stupid cow! It's your fault he was going to that party in the first place!"

"Can you two keep it down please?" Sam asked politely yet with a hint of annoyance.

"I've told her but she won't listen." The other woman huffed.

"My boyfriend is in there fighting for his life-"

"He's not fighting for his life, he's possibly got a few broken fingers if it's the worse case scenario!" She laughed.

"Don't try and make me look stupid-" the woman stepped forward to push the other, only Sam tried to stop it and ended up being pushed into a wall causing her to groan.

"You bitch, she's up the duff! Are you okay-"

"Sam!" Tom ran down the corridor as he had just seen what had happened. "You two were arguing earlier, now get out of this ED now before I get you done for assault!" Tom shouted and the two women thankfully left without saying another word leaving Tom to worry about Sam and his unborn child. "Are you in any pain?" He asked worriedly.

"I er, I don't think so." She replied, and it broke Tom's heart to see Sam looking so scared and vulnerable.

"It was just a knock, I'm sure you're both fine." Tom said reassuringly. "Come with me." He took Sam's hand and lead her to an empty cubicle which had an ultrasound machine that Tom had used earlier on a patient.

"Wait. What if I'm not ready to know the gender yet?" Sam said as Tom pulled a curtain around the cubicle.

"Well then don't look at the screen and I'll cover that area up before you can look." Tom stated as he put a lubricant on the transducer in one hand, and then turned the machine on with the other. "Well get on the bed then." He smirked as Sam was just stood there. "And you do realise that I'm only doing this because I want us to see our baby again right? It's not because in worried, it was only a little knock, you're both fine." Tom said reassuringly as Sam climbed onto the bed and then pulled her scrub top up.

"I swear, if someone comes in now- Jesus that's cold! Why didn't you warn me?" Sam moaned as Tom put it onto her bump and he moved it just below Sam's belly button before he paused.

"Because you knew it was going to be cold." Tom stated as he peered at the screen. "Right, we're in luck because our little rascal is showing their bum off at the moment so you don't have to worry about their gender." Tom stated as he turned the screen to show Sam the black and white image.

Sam put her hand over Tom's hand on the transducer and moved it up slightly on her bump and at an angle.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked curiously.

"Checking that there's no placental abruption because of the push." Sam stated as she looked closely at the screen.

"Well I'm no sonographer, but that looks just dandy to me." Tom stated as he forced the transducer back down on the centre of her bump and he pressed print so that he would have another ultrasound picture to put in the folder. He wiped the transducer dry whilst Sam cleaned her abdomen and then she got off of the bed and to her feet.

"Fletch have you seen the ultrasound machine?" They heard Zoe asked.

"Crap!" Tom laughed.

"Tom? What are you-" Zoe asked as she had heard his voice and she pulled back the curtain to see Tom standing there with an ultrasound scan and Sam with a tissue in her hand. "Ah, I heard about you getting pushed but I couldn't find either of you. Are you alright? Is the baby alright?" She asked and they both let out a sigh of relief that they weren't in trouble.

"They're both fine." Tom smiled as he proudly showed his boss the scan.

"Thank you for showing me your baby's bum." Zoe said sarcastically. "Now can you two get back to work and can I have the ultrasound machine." Zoe ordered. Tom looked like a naughty school kid as he reached behind him and wheeled the trolley to Zoe who soon disappeared into resus.

"Y'know, for a moment there I thought Zoe was actually gonna say something like 'take the rest of the day off'." Sam said sulkily.

"In your dreams princess." Tom smirked as he playfully slapped Sam on the bum and then walked off as he put the scan in his scrub pocket, leaving Sam to eye him up from behind.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam falls ill at work and Tess works out that Sam is experiencing a bad migraine. Will Tom be able to keep Sam and the baby stressfree?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Monday 13th April 2015**

At 19 weeks pregnant, Sam seemed to be experiencing every pregnancy symptom there was but not usually all at once. However, she had become to accept those symptoms and she had gotten used to them, but it was one Monday morning that she was feeling odd. And she hadn't told Tom, but he was bound to find out eventually.

"Um, Tom, is Sam alright?" Fletch asked concernedly.

"As far as I know she is. Why?" Tom replied.

"Because she just had to ask me to take a patient's blood because she had pins and needles in her hands which is a bit weird isn't it? I mean, it's certainly not normal."

"I'm sure she's fine." Tom said reassuringly to Fletch, who then went off to finish the task of sending the blood off however, it left Tom wondering what could be making Sam have such an odd symptom...

* * *

Her head was spinning, as was the room and with every sound something pounded into her skull. Her vision was blurred but as she looked up to stretch her tingly neck, she felt blinded by the ridiculously bright lights above her. She felt sick too, but she didn't have the energy to run to the toilets so she stumbled into a cubicle and pulled the flimsy curtain around her as a pathetic attempt at blocking out some of none noise of the busy ED.

* * *

"Isn't cubicle 4 supposed to empty?" Zoe queried as she looked at the curtained area.

"Yes, it should be." Tess replied.

"Well why is the curtain closed?" Zoe demanded as she strode over and ripped the curtain back - she expected to find a pair of young nurses snogging each other's face off but instead she found a much more excusable scene. Sam was fast asleep on the bed on her side, with the pillows thrown on the floor and she had her arms cradled around her bump which was emphasised by her still too tight scrubs. And she oddly was wearing a pair of black crocs rather than her usual trainers.

"Aw, bless her." Tess laughed softly.

"Sam, c'mon we need the bed, you can't sleep here. Go home if you're that tired." Zoe ordered but she got very little response. "Sam?" Zoe repeated worriedly.

"I've got a headache." Sam mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Right. Um..." Zoe trailed off awkwardly as she didn't want to cause the doctor any more pain but they were running at full capacity and they needed the bed.

"And my feet hurt." She croaked.

Zoe glanced at Tess worriedly at Sam's lack of response so the former midwife approached the end of the bed and pulled up the bottom of her trouser leg ever so slightly.

"That's probably because your ankles and your feet are swollen." Tess said quietly. Zoe poked her head outside of the cubicle quickly and saw Sam's best friend walking by.

"Ah Fletch, can you go and get Tom please? Tell him Sam needs him."

"Sure, is she alright?" Fletch asked worriedly as he peered past the consultant's shoulder to see his best friend in a darkened cubicle laying on the bed with her eyes closed.

"She will be once she's got Tom." Zoe said reassuringly so the nurse quickly walked off to find Tom, whilst Zoe went back to Sam. "Sam are you in high risk for preeclampsia?" Zoe asked.

"No, it's just a headache, water retention and bloating. I'm fine, stop fussing." Sam moaned.

"Well I just want to check, can you sit up so I can check your blood pressure." Tess asked as she grabbed an arm cuff.

"Take it while I'm sitting down." Sam moaned.

"No, because that won't give us a proper reading. C'mon, I'll put some pillows behind you." Tess said encouragingly and reluctantly, Sam very slowly got up with the help of Zoe, and Tess tucked the pillows behind Sam's back.

"How much have you had to drink today?" Zoe asked whilst Tess attached the cuff to Sam's upper arm and inflated it.

"About a litre and a half of water." Sam muttered. "Stop fussing, it's just a headache."

"What's going on?" Tom demanded as he entered the cubicle.

"Don't shout." Sam scalded in a whisper.

"Sorry, but what're you checking her blood pressure for?"

"I just want to rule out preeclampsia as a precaution okay. But her blood pressure is fine. So I just need a urine sample please Sam." Tess replied as she took the cuff off and Sam groaned as she clutching her banging head.

"I take it back, I don't want this baby just get rid of it." She mumbled.

"Hey, you don't mean that." Tom stated as he took one of her hands in both of his. "Have you had some paracetamol?"

"No. I can manage without." She grumbled and all the medics looked at her like she was mad.

"Sam, a small dose of paracetamol isn't going to hurt our baby. It's perfectly safe." Tom said softly.

"Sam, have you got a history of migraines?" Tess asked curiously.

"That would explain the pins and needles earlier." Tom pointed out.

"I had them when I was a teenager but I haven't had one in years." Sam stated.

"Well fluctuating hormones could trigger one." Tess stated.

"God, why didn't I think of that?" Sam groaned as she sat up properly but she quickly clutched her pounding head. "Ooww, I feel like I've just been to one of Robyn's parties."

"Well the best thing to do is rest until it passed because it's clearly aggravated by physical activity. Take some paracetamol, drink plenty of water and go home where it's quiet." Zoe ordered. "Tom, you can have the rest of the day off too if you want to take her home because she's in no fit state to drive."

"I can hear you y'know-" Sam paused as she placed the back of her hand over her mouth. Tess grabbed a sick bowl and held it for Sam, but after a few moments she waved it away. "I'm fine."

"Right, I'll go and get our things from the locker room and a few bits from pharmacy, then I'll bring the car to the entrance okay?"

"Yeah, whatever." Sam muttered as she very slowly laid back down again. Tom pulled the curtain shut to give her a little privacy, when he bumped into Fletch.

"Ah, just the man I was looking for. Sam's having a migraine so I'm taking her home but I need to get a few things first. If I ring you in about five or ten minutes, would you mind just waking her up and walking her out to the entrance for me if I drive around?" Tom asked.

"Yeah sure. Is the baby alright?"

"A migraine isn't gonna hurt the baby as long as we keep Sam as stress free as possible so I'm sure he or she is fine."

* * *

Sam opened her eyes slightly as she felt arms go around her but she knew they weren't Tom's - she knew exactly what his hold was like.

"Get off-" Sam tried to shout as she weakly pushed the person in the chest.

"It's alright, I'm taking you out to the car." Fletch said softly as he carefully heaved her off of the bed and placed her down into a wheelchair. "You're heavier than I thought you'd be!" He admitted jokily as he took the brakes off and grabbed Sam's stethoscope from the bed and put it on her lap before he slowly wheeled her through cubicles. Sam kept her eyes closed because the light only aggravated her headache and she trusted that Fletch would take her where she needed to go. "I want you to get plenty of rest okay. My dad used to have pretty bad migraines, and do you know what made him feel better?"

"Morphine?" Sam joked halfheartedly.

"No, my mum used to massage the back of his neck to increase circulation and it didn't cure it, but he said that it helped to deal with the pain." Fletch explained. "Just ask Tom to massage the back of your neck every now and then and see how it goes."

Slowly, Fletch wheeled Sam out of the building where Tom was parked around the corner.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be in a wheelchair." Tom smirked as he opened the passenger car door. "It must be bad." He admitted as both men helped Sam to get into the car with as little movement as possible. Tom then reached across and clicked her seatbelt in place for her before he quietly closed the door. "Thank you for bringing her out."

"No problem. Try massaging the back of her neck, it might help." Fletch advised.

"Will do, thanks." Tom went around and jumped in the car, only it took him a few moments to realise that Sam had groaned because when he had gotten in the car, he had shaken it. "Sorry, I didn't think." He apologised.

"Well why change the habit of a lifetime?" Sam joked quietly and Tom smiled.

"I've got burn gel packs and sick bowls from pharmacy so we're just gonna get you tucked up in bed so that you can get some rest alright?"

"Thanks." Sam mumbled. "Can you go a bit slower please?" She asked as she pulled the sun visor down despite the fact that it wasn't very sunny.

"Yeah, sure." Tom immediately slowed his speed to lessen the force of the bumps and jolts on them as Sam was clearly feeling worse because of the movement.

* * *

"There we go." Tom whispered as he had just helped Sam to lay down on the mattress with the pillows thrown on the floor once more because elevating her head only made her feel worse. After getting home, he had locked the front door to keep them safe whilst Sam emptied her bladder before she settled down. Tom closed the curtains, but opened the window to let some air in, and then placed a sick bowl on her bedside cabinet just in case. "Is there anything that I can do for you at all? You want a drink or something to eat?" He whispered as he crouched down besides her. "Or you could have some paracetamol." He added coyly.

"Can you just leave me alone and keep the noise down please?" Sam asked quietly as she kept her eyes closed.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Whatever you want." Tom nodded. He was slightly disappointed as he had hoped that she would've asked him to hold her or to give her a massage or something a little more intimate. However, he knew that migraines could be so painful that they could be debilitating so he put a bottle of water and her phone on her bedside table, before he left and closed the bedroom door behind him so that Shadow wouldn't go in and disturb her rest.

* * *

"Shadow, get off!" Tom whispered. Sam awoke to find her dog licking her bump where her shirt had rolled up in her sleep so she swatted her away and pulled her shirt down whilst Tom got onto the bed besides her with a steaming bowl. "Right, how're you feeling?" He whispered.

"Not brilliant." Sam shrugged.

"Well migraines can last anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days long so I suppose we'll just have to wait and see." He sighed. "But anyway, you haven't eaten since breakfast and it's nearly dinner time so I've got you some nice chicken broth." He stated as he lifted a spoon up, blew on it and then held it towards her mouth.

"I'm not a five year old." Sam huffed as she sat up a little bit and leant on the headboard of the bed.

"No but you're poorly, and you deserve to be looked after." He stated and reluctantly, Sam let him put the spoonful of soup into her mouth. "And I've got a few little presents after this to make you feel better." He smiled.

"If it involved paracetamol-"

"It doesn't, trust me; you'll like them." Tom stated as he put a bit more into her mouth.

"It wouldn't be too bad if I could just sleep through it but I keep on waking up every hour or so needing a wee." Sam admitted.

"Well migraines can cause increased urination so it could be that, as well as the HCG in your blood, and the baby pushing on your bladder." Tom listed and Sam smirked.

"Look, I don't want to be mean but... Would you mind, sleeping on the sofa tonight please? No sorry, that's unfair, I'll sleep on the sofa-"

"No don't be silly, I'll get the blow up bed out and sleep on the floor by the end of the bed so you've got room to get up and go to the toilet." Tom stated.

"Ugh. The thought of blowing up the bed now makes me feel like I'm gonna pass out." Sam admitted.

"Well then it's a good job that I've got strong lungs." Tom smiled as he continued to spoon feed Sam whilst she rested her hands on her bump.

"Thank you, for looking after me."

"Oh it's my pleasure, you got me a day off of work." Tom smirked.

Once Sam had had enough of the chicken broth, Tom reached under the bed and placed a colourful stripy gift bag with pink and blue tissue paper sticking out of it on the bed in front of her.

"What's this for?" Sam asked innocently.

"I got you a few little presents when we went to London so that I could give them to you when you needed cheering up, and I think that now is the ideal time. Go on, look what's in it." He said encouragingly. Sam opened the bag and smiled as she pulled out a small plush border collie dog. "I got that from Hamleys, and I thought rather than go with the original toy bear, that could be our baby's first toy."

"It's adorable." Sam smiled. "But we'll have to keep it out of reach of you-know-who." Sam remarked as they both looked at Shadow who was lying between Sam's legs as she wagged her tail whilst looking at the toy. Sam put the toy besides her before she took out a small pile of thin children's books. There was _The Hungry Caterpillar, Guess How Much I Love You, The Cat In The Hat _and _Green Eggs and Ham_.

"I want to read to our baby every night until they go off to sleep." Tom said softly.

"It's gonna be a long time until they'll be sleeping at night and not whenever they want." Sam warned.

"It won't take that long if they've got the intelligence of their mother." Tom smiled.

"We've got to stop saying 'they' because you keep on making me think that there's more than one in there." Sam smirked. Suddenly, Shadow barked as she felt left out but the noise make Sam groan.

"Come here you stupid mutt." Tom let Shadow sit in front of him so that he could pet the dog to keep her quiet.

"Ooh." Sam forced a smile as she pulled out a gold box of 34 chocolates and a milk chocolate tablet bar from the bag from Godiva. "Are you trying to make me fat?" She joked.

"That's not possible." He whispered before he pecked her on the cheek. "And I got you these as well." He added as he took a rectangular box out of the bag. It was white except for two transparent foot shaped shapes with 5 little round toes each, that showed the contents of the box: lots of pale blue and pale pink M&Ms. "Turn it over." Tom ordered and Sam did so to find a message printed on the back.

'To my beautiful wife, Sam,

I am in awe each day as I look at you and marvel at the precious life you have growing inside you. I've loved you since the moment our lips first touched, but my love has grown so much deeper since we have conceived our first child. When I look at you I see a beautiful rose that is coming into bloom each day as your body grows. My life centers around you and our child and I can't express how much joy that brings me everyday. If there is ever anything I can do to make you as happy as you've made me don't hesitate to ask and your wish will be my command.

Your loving husband, Tom x'

"I might have visited M&M world when we went to London too." Tom admitted sheepishly.

"Tom it's... It's amazing, thank you." She whispered as she buried her head in his neck and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Oi, remember our deal: you're not allowed to cry for this entire pregnancy." Tom laughed softly as he pulled away and Sam grimaced at the movement. "Is it getting worse?" He asked gently, and Sam gave a small nod. "Here, you get some rest. And just think about getting yourself better for your 20 week scan on Friday." Tom smiled as he gently laid Sam down on the bed and then put the gift bag on her bedside table. "And I meant what I said on the M&Ms box, if you want anything, just let me know okay?"

"Mmhmm." Sam mumbled as she snuggled her cheek into the mattress. Tom gently pecked her on the other cheek before he left the room and took Shadow with him to let the mother of his unborn child some rest.

* * *

**Midnight**

Tom was fast asleep on the blow up air bed at the end of their double bed so that Sam had plenty of room and she wasn't moved by his movements in the night. However, Sam was far from fast asleep as her head was still pounding. She also felt nauseous, however she did not want to have to go to the bathroom because firstly she didn't have the energy as she hadn't had any sleep, and secondly, moving would only aggravate her head and make her feel worse.

But the nausea was only getting worse so she grabbed the sick bowl from her bedside table that she was so glad Tom had left there, flicked the dim lamp on and she sat up slightly, waiting for the inevitable to happen. A few minutes of intense nausea passed where Sam was just wishing that it would sooner rather than later, when she finally vomited into the sick bowl, and then she groaned quietly in pain from leaning forward.

"Sam?" Tom croaked as he slowly woke up and saw her holding the bowl. "You feel sick?" He asked as he quickly got up, only when he did, he saw that he bowl had been used.

"Not anymore." Sam joked halfheartedly.

"I'll get you some more water." He stated as he noticed her empty bottle, so he took the sick bowl off of her and then disposed of it in the waste bin outside of the apartment so that it didn't smell, before he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and a straw. "Like that's gonna happen." Tom remarked as he walked into the bedroom to see Shadow curled up on his air bed, with her head on Tom's pillow.

"She likes warm spots." Sam stated.

"Well she's gonna have a warm spot where I kick her up the arse in a minute." Tom muttered as he knelt down in front of her and held the straw for her whilst Sam took a few sips of the cool, soothing liquid.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Do you want anything else?"

"Did you say you got some burn gel packs?"

"Yeah, why you feeling hot?" He asked worriedly as he leant forward to feel her forehead but she batted him away.

"No I just thought that it might help with the pain." Sam admitted.

"Okay, yeah sure." Tom opened a carrier bag and took out a box of two gel pads that react with their air and become cold. He opened the foil packaging, and waved it about a bit to get it working. "Where do you want them?"

"Forehead and back of my neck please."

"No, don't bother getting up, it's alright." Tom didn't want her causing herself any more pain so he put one of the pads over her forehead, and then he cleverly slid the other one under her neck and pressed it onto her skin.

"I don't want to sound clingy but..."

"But?" Tom prompted. "C'mon, I love it when you're clingy, you go all soft and mushy." Tom smirked.

"If I'm not any better in the morning, can you stay at home with me because I don't want to be by myself when I'm like this in case something happens." Sam admitted.

"Of course I can, I was gonna stay at home with you whether you wanted me here or not." Tom laughed quietly. "Get some rest." He whispered. "And by the way, you look ridiculously stupid with that on your forehead." He remarked before he budged Shadow off of his air bed and he got comfortable himself.

* * *

**Tuesday 14th April 2015, 7:30am**

"Zoe, I'm not coming in to work today." Tom said down the phone as he had decided that Zoe would need time to get a locum to cover for both Tom and Sam's absence.

"_Has Sam still got a migraine_?"

"Yeah, she's er, she's not doing great; she's been sick a few times in the night." Tom admitted.

"_Poor Sam. Is there anything I can do_?"

"No, but thanks for offering. I suppose we've just got to wait until it passes." Tom shrugged. "But even then, some people can be exhausted for 7 days after a migraine, on top of the fact that she's pregnant... I'm just a bit worried about her going back to work." Tom hinted.

"_Well... Seeing as Sam's got Friday off for her scan and you're already having Monday and today off, I'll give her Wednesday and Thursday off as paid sick leave, I'll write her a doctor's note for the file. But I'll need you to be in tomorrow if the worst of it is over_." Zoe explained and Tom let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much."

"_Well I can't have Sam working if she's knackered can I? Anyway, I'd better get ready or Connie will be snitching to Guy that I'm late_."

"Yep, I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"_Bye_."

Tom put his phone in his pocket before he got the chopping board out and began preparing a fruit salad for Sam for when she woke up. He slowly chopped up a bowl of apple, banana and orange segments, put a bit of natural yogurt over the top and grabbed a spoon before he made his way into the bedroom where he found it empty.

"Sam?"

"Yeah." She replied quietly and Tom knew that the slight echo from her voice was caused by their tiled bathroom.

"Don't worry." Tom said before he sat down on the edge of the bed on his side. Shadow came and sat on the end of the bed whilst he waited for Sam, when she finally reappeared. "You alright? Have you been sick again?" He asked concernedly as she very slowly walked into the room and then lowered herself onto the bed.

"No, I was just having a wash." Sam replied quietly.

"Okay. I made you breakfast." He smiled as he balanced the bowl in his lap, wrapped one arm around her shoulder and then got some of the fruit on the spoon. "Choo choo, here comes the train." He teased and Sam reluctantly opened her mouth.

"Oi!" Sam protested quietly as Tom then had some out of her bowl too.

"You're not gonna miss one bit of apple." Tom stated bluntly, to which Sam rolled her eyes.

"So what did Zoe say?"

"She's giving you sick leave for tomorrow and Thursday so you've got the whole week off. But I've got to go in tomorrow and Thursday." He explained. "You lucky cow; first you you get spoon fed and waited on hand, foot and finger, and then you get extra holiday." He joked.

"And I've got a banging headache, a bladder that seems to be the size of a peanut, and a baby who is refusing to kick so far." Sam moaned.

"You're not worried about _that_ are you?"

"Some people feel their baby moving at 14 weeks, and I've barely felt anything more than indigestion."

"He or she will kick soon, you're only 19 weeks and it's your first pregnancy so it's perfectly normal not to have felt much at 19 weeks." Tom said reassuringly. "Honestly, it's nothing to worry about. And you're mind will be put at ease when we see our baby again on Friday, and then we can finally call our baby 'him' or 'her' rather than they." Tom stated.

"I know it's not fair to other women who aren't doctors, but... I might have been using this and my head is pounding at the moment so I thought you might want to have a listen." Sam admitted as she took her stethoscope from her bedside draw.

"What happened to your yellow one you use at work?" He asked curiously.

"This one is more expensive, and it's more sensitive so it's better at picking up the baby's heartbeat rather than the pulse of the blood flow to the placenta." Sam explained. "Go on, try it. It might take a while to find the heart though." Sam warned as Tom put the earpieces in, and then he put the chest piece under Sam's pyjama top. He pulled a face as he slowly moved around Sam's bump before he finally rested it underneath her navel and he smiled.

"It's quite faint but it's really fast." Tom stated happily.

"I know." Sam nodded eagerly. "Y'know, I read online that if you're expecting a girl then their heartbeat would be over 140 beats per minute, and a little boy would have less than 140 beats per minute. And guess what our baby's heart rate is? 140 beats per minute, on the dot." Sam huffed and Tom chuckled.

"You don't actually believe in the superstition stuff do you?"

"Well no but it's quite interesting how they work things out." Sam shrugged before she yawned. "Right, I'm gonna try and get some rest." She stated as she slowly laid back down on the bed.

"Okay. Are you gonna be alright if I take Shadow out for a quick walk?"

"Yeah sure, just keep the noise down when you come in in case I'm asleep."

"I will. Night night." He whispered as he pecked her on the forehead and then went and put Shadow on her lead, before he left the house.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom find out the gender of their baby at her 20 week scan. But pregnancy is beginning to take it's toll on Sam's body, causing both physical discomforts and emotional problems.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review if you wouldn't mind :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Friday 17th April 2015**

"Have you had any problems?" The sonogropher, Louise, asked as Sam got on the bed and Tom sat on the chair besides it.

"Um, I had a migraine a few days ago but I haven't had them since I was a teenager so I just wanted to ask if you think it's going to be a frequent occurrence, or if it was a one off." Sam explained.

"Well, it could just be a coincidence that you've had one whilst your pregnant, however the most likely cause is your fluctuating hormones in which case, you could experience more migraines throughout your pregnancy. However, you can do things to prevent them like keeping a healthy blood sugar, so no binge eating on sugary things, try not to get stressed because that can trigger a migraine, and it could be certain foods that cause it too."

"Okay. And I just wanted to point out that I haven't actually felt any kicks yet-"

"But, I've told her that there's nothing to worry about." Tom interrupted.

"Your husband is right Mrs Kent, you're 20 weeks, you might not feel anything until you're 22 weeks but that doesn't mean that anything is wrong." Louise stated. "Right, I think we're ready to begin. So welcome, to your anomaly scan." She smiled as she put the lubricant onto the transducer whilst Sam rolled her top up to show her perfectly rounded bump which unfortunately had the beginnings of stretch marks on the sides of her hips. "You know the drill, this might be a bit cold." She warned before she put it on Sam's bump and moved it around to spread the gel out. "Would you like to know the gender if possible?"

"Yes please." Sam and Tom said simultaneously.

"Okay, well we've got to make sure that baby is in the right position to tell because I won't tell you the gender unless I'm 99% sure of it." Louise said as she peered at the screen. "Right, baby is facing towards Dad slightly, so if we move over here." She said as she moved the transducer towards Tom's side of the bed. "There..." She paused leaving Sam and Tom to wait anxiously before she spoke up once more. "You are almost certainly expecting a baby boy." She smiled.

"Yes!" Tom punched the air which raised an eyebrow from Sam. "What? Now you've just gotta pop ten more out and I've got the next Manchester United. If they've got even a tiny percentage of my football skills, they'll be international football players by the time they finish puberty." Tom joked.

"Tom, if they had your football skills, they'd be a danger to themselves and others." Sam stated.

"Okay, can you two just keep quiet now while I check baby over, this can take around 20 minutes whilst I take measurements just to check that all of his organs are developing correctly."

"Sure." Sam nodded as she smiled to herself about having a baby boy. She was almost a little relieved at the fact that she wouldn't have to have mother-daughter talks and that she wouldn't have to deal with periods, mood swings and boyfriend troubles. But instead she would hopefully have an active son whom she could maybe run with as he got older.

* * *

Sam had been day dreaming about her son growing up when she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the ultrasound machine printing out pictures of the scan.

"All done." Louise smiled. "And this is my favourite part of the job, because I get to tell you that your baby is developing normally, the placenta is healthy and in the correct position, and that there is nothing to worry about at this stage." She smiled.

"Thank you." Sam smiled as she wiped her stomach clean and then slid off of the bed with Tom's help.

"You're more than welcome. And you'll need to go to reception now, and book another appointment at 25 weeks, so in 5 weeks time. It's only because it's your first baby, and the midwife will just check your blood pressure, check for protein in the urine, and check the size of your uterus - it'll be a just a quick appointment to check how mum and baby are doing." She explained.

"Okay, thank you." Tom nodded.

"Bye."

"Goodbye."

* * *

Despite it being really early, Sam wanted to be prepared for the arrival of Baby Kent, so she had written a list for her birth bag essentials and as they had the whole day off from work, they had gone to Holby high street to get the whole list so that she could feel prepared. Tom got out of the car and then went around Sam's side and helped her out before he locked the car.

"Right, you're in charge so where do you want to go first?" He asked.

"Boots." Sam yawned - she was still tired after she had gotten very little sleep during her 36 hour migraine but she decided that she'd much rather feel tired than have the banging headache and nausea again.

"Ah ah ah, you're supposed to cross at the crossing and wait for the green man." Tom said sternly as he linked arms with her and walked up to the traffic lights.

"And of course, you _always_ wait for the green man." Sam said sarcastically.

"Yeah well I don't always have a childbearing woman with me." Tom remarked. "At least now we can go shopping for baby things because we know we've got to go with the theme blue." Tom said proudly. "Or red for Man U." He added sheepishly.

"We are not raising our son to be a football supporter, he can support whoever he likes when he actually understands the concept of football and he knows that there is more than one team which I doubt he will be taught by you." Sam said sternly as they crossed the road whilst all of he cars had stopped. Tom grabbed a basket as the pair entered boots whilst Sam got the list out of her pocket.

"Right, I'm just following you here, so get whatever you want."

"That's what I was planning on doing." Sam stated bluntly. She picked up a pack of 12 maternity pads and put them in the basket, before she picked up another two packs, and put them in the basket. She then grabbed two packs of heavy absorbency pads, two packs of normal pads and two boxes of panty liners.

"You've already filled up the basket and you can only tick one thing off of the list!" Tom laughed.

"Well you'd better get another basket then hadn't you?" Sam retorted.

* * *

Oddly, Sam was in a rather productive mood after packing her birth bag with a bit of Tom's assistance, so they had both gone shopping once again, but for food so that they could cook some nice meals and freeze them for when they had little time once the baby had been born. They had loads of plastic boxes from the Chinese takeaway, and they were all one portion sized so they were cooking things like macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognease, chicken tikka masala and cottage pie. Sam had been chopping up vegetables when she suddenly put the knife down, and leant on the counter.

"You alright?" Tom queried as he saw the bewildered look on her face.

"He's um... He's..." Sam trailed off and so Tom slid his arm around the bottom of Sam's bump, and then he smoothed his hand upwards.

"I can't feel anything." Tom said confusedly.

"No he's not kicking it's just... Like can feel that he's moving inside of me." Sam admitted. Tom was a little disappointed that his child was not yet making strong enough movements so that he could feel them, but he was relieved at the same time because Sam had been worrying about not feeling anything and now she was perfectly content.

"I told you he's fine." Tom said softly as he stood behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her swollen abdomen.

"And I've told you just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean you can touch me all the time." Sam snapped as she turned around and Tom immediately let go of her and stepped back. For Sam, the loving moment that she felt her her baby move had instantly gone to a tense atmosphere and she felt bad for snapping at Tom so she quickly walked out of the room, into the bedroom and shut the door behind her to stop Tom from coming in after her.

Tom sighed as he heard the door slam - he wanted to comfort his hormonal wife who appeared to be struggling to cope, but she clearly didn't want him to follow her. He decided that the best thing to do,we would be to finish off the meals that they here making, and then clean the kitchen up to save Sam from having to do it.

* * *

He had finally finished making the kitchen spotless when he heard the bedroom door creak open. He smiled as he assumed that she must've calmed down, however, he soon heard the sound of the bathroom door close so she hadn't come out by choice - she had to empty her bladder because of the pressure on it whilst she had a baby growing inside of her. He quickly got a postit note, wrote 'I'm Sorry x' and then put it on the bedroom door before he went back and leant on the counter in the kitchen.

It was an anxious few minutes until he heard Sam come out of the toilet, and he waited to hear if she shut the door again, however he saw her lean in the kitchen doorway and she put the note on the side.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, I'm just being a stroppy cow." Sam muttered.

"No you're not-"

"Yes I am and I'm sorry, he's as much your son as he is mine and you were only giving me a hug and I shouldn't have snapped. I've just got a really sore chest and the ligaments in my sides are hurting so I didn't appreciate your touch as much as I would normally." Sam admitted quietly as she traced her fingers up and down the sides of her abdomen where her ligaments were being stretched and taunted causing the poor soon-to-be mother pain.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in pain?" Tom sighed as he took one of her hands in his as he had decided that it would be best not to hug her at that moment unless she made the first move.

"Because if I told you that my breasts hurt, you would've just smirked at me." She sulked.

"Come with me." Tom ordered softly as he took her hand and guided her into their bedroom. "Lie down." He ordered and Sam did so on the bed slowly, grimacing as he sides tugged. "Right, what do you think is gonna make it better? A cold flannel, or a hot water bottle?" Tom asked as he knelt down besides her. "Or do you want me to run you a bath? It could be hot or cold." He offered.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sam mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Tom chuckled. "I love you, and a tiny little hormonal outburst isn't going to change that." Tom said softly as he tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear causing Sam to smile. She tried to hide it but she couldn't help as it tugged on the edges of her lips. "Why don't you wear a sports bra? It'll give you more support won't it?"

"I haven't got any sports bras that fit anymore and if they're too tight then they're gonna cause more pain." Sam admitted.

"Well we'll get some for you tomorrow after work yeah? Or we could get you some maternity bras that are made specifically for nights."

"Okay, thanks." Sam nodded. "And in answer to your earlier question, if you're offering, I think a cold flannel might work. But one won't be big enough, I'll need two-"

"I'll just get you a tea towel." Tom stated as he stood up. "I can use that pink one and then we'll know not to use that one in the kitchen." Tom remarked. "What do you want to do once I've got it? Would you like to watch a movie? Or TV?"

"Can I see if the cold tea towel helps at all for ten minutes or so, and then we could Shadow up to the park." Sam suggested.

"Yeah, if you're up to that." Tom nodded. "I'll go and get the tea towel." He stated. He soon returned with the pink, thin tea towel that had been soaked in cold water, to the bedroom. "Right, do you want to take your shirt and bra off? I would but I don't want to hurt you." Tom admitted.

"Yeah but um... I'm warning you that things have changed a bit." Sam said quietly as she pulled her shirt over her head and then she laid it down over her bump to cover it up.

"What do you mean 'changed'?" Tom queried.

"You'll see." Sam replied quietly as she slipped her head behind her and unclipped her plain black bra. She slowly pulled it off of her chest revealing a bust that was much larger than usual, and her nipples had darkened and enlarged because her body was preparing to breastfeed their baby. Tom smiled as he gently laid the damp tea towel over her chest. And then he just knelt down besides the bed whilst he stroked Sam's arm to give her a sense of comfort that he was there for her. Tom looked to the side when he heard little taps on the floor until he felt Shadow sit down besides him and rested her chin on his thigh. They all remained silent as they relaxed whilst Sam closed her eyes, however Shadow had been intrigued by Sam's ever changing body so she got up, jumped up on the bed, laid down next to Sam and nosed her bump. "Oi, that's private property." Sam huffed it the dog continued until she began licking Sam's bump lovingly.

"She definitely knows that something is in there." Tom smiled. "Is the cold tea towel working?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, it is actually."

"Don't sound so surprised. I do come up with good ideas sometimes."

"Such as?" Sam questioned.

"Such as getting that dog for your birthday." Tom stated bluntly.

"Yeah, I suppose she was a good idea too." Sam admitted as she stroked Shadow on the head. "I take it back, I haven't got the energy to take her out for a walk, can we just watch a movie?"

"Yeah sure. I'll take Shadow out for a quick walk so that she's been out and then I'll bring the laptop in here and we can settle down." Tom replied. "Shadow you wanna go walkies?" Tom teased as he stood up. Immediately, the dog sat up, pricked her ears up and began wagging her tail. "I'll take that as a yes." Tom concluded.

* * *

Tom had his head propped up on his elbow as he laid behind Sam on the bed watching a movie on the laptop. However, after a joke made in the film occurred and Sam didn't make a sound, Tom leant forward to see if she was okay, when in fact she was fast asleep. Still with only a damp tea towel over her chest and the duvet up to her bump because she didn't want to go back to the throbbing pain that she was in when she was only lying in bed and she didn't need to be clothed. But after being on her skin for over an hour, the towel had become warm so he gently peeled the towel off of Sam's chest and put it on the side, before he pulled the duvet over her properly. He put the laptop away and flicked the light off, before he settled down for the night with both his wife and his unborn son lying safely in his arms.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom spend a summer evening together after a scorching hot day.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Saturday 6th June 2015**

At 27 weeks pregnant, Sam was exhausted and unfortunately for her. It had turned out to be a very hot, dry summer. Even at the beginning of June it was absolutely scorching and so Sam was lying down on a picnic blanket out in the small grass garden whilst Shadow laid down on the cool grass in the shade. Sam was also in the shade of their neighbour's trees, but she could still look up and see the clear blue skies with the occasional fluffy cloud floating by. Tom had gone food shopping so she was left on her own to have a nice peaceful rest for her body to keep stressfree during the heatwave. She looked beautiful in her short denim shorts and tight jersey top and sports bra because it showed off her large bump but the stifling heat was just too much for her and going inside was only worse because it was hot in there too. She had been drinking plenty of water to ward off dehydration, but she was still sweating like a pig. However she had enjoyed going to work for the last few days because the hospital was kept cool by airconditioning.

* * *

Tom had just carried all of the shopping into the kitchen and he poked his head outside the back door just to check on Sam, only to find that she hadn't moved since he had left over an hour ago, and she was still lying with her sunglasses on so he couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. He wished that he had taken Sam with him because inside the tescos store was freezing cold and he had been reluctant to leave her in the hot weather. However he had got Sam and Shadow a little surprise so he began to pack the shopping away so he could set it up.

He had gotten a 3m by 2m rectangular swimming pool that was 50cm deep. It wasn't massive but Tom had only wanted to get a pool for the garden that he and Sam could cool down in. And of course because of Shadow's love for a bath after a muddy walk, he assumed that she would enjoy the pool too. They already had an electric pump for air beds and things like that so Tom inflated it and still Sam did not stir. Thankfully, the heatwave hadn't yet resulted in a hosepipe ban so Tom attached the hose to the tap that they usually used to water the plants and he put the end of the hose in the pool to fill it up before he went and ran the hot tap into the washing up bowl, and he boiled the kettle several times so that the water wasn't too cold, though admittedly it probably didn't make much difference.

Throughout the afternoon, Tom had been playing with Shadow with a water gun and tennis balls as he messed about in the swimming pool in his blue swimming trunks, and Sam was yet to wake up. However the sun had moved since she had settled down on the picnic blanket and so by 2pm, the sun was already shining directly on part of Sam's face and her arm so he decided to wake her up.

"Sam..." He said softly as he squatted down besides her and gently rubbed her arm whilst he was careful not to get her wet as he knew that that would not be a good way to wake her up. "C'mon open your eyes." He smiled as Sam groggily woke up and then stretched her arms and legs out before she sat up. "Guess what new toy I got Shadow." Tom smirked as Sam's eyes fell upon the bright blue and white swimming pool before she looked back at her husband who was only in his swimming shorts with his hair spiked up in different direction where he had behaved immaturely with the water.

"How long was I asleep for?" Sam croaked as Tom gave her a helping hand up.

"A couple of hours." Tom replied. "I didn't want you being in the sun." Tom admitted as he glanced down at the picnic blanket that was illuminated by the suns rays.

"What, even though you covered me in sun cream this morning?" Sam retorted.

"Yep. Now go and get a bikini on and then I can put some more sun cream on you." Tom smiled cheekily. Sam rolled her eyes before she padded inside.

* * *

Tom wolf whistled as Sam exited the house in a beautiful coral coloured one piece swimsuit tied behind her neck that showed off her 27 week bump and she had a beach towel too.

"I thought I requested a bikini." Tom said sheepishly.

"You did. But when do I ever listen to what you say?" Sam retorted as she tied her hair up in a tight bun to keep it dry.

"You want me to put sun cream on your shoulders?" Tom offered as he picked up the factor 50 sun cream. He had only used the factor 15 for his skin, but he wanted Sam and his baby to be safe on the scorching sunny day.

"Yes please." Sam closed her eyes as she enjoyed Tom lovingly rubbing the lotion into her tense shoulders and on the backs of her arms. He then went around to her front and began rubbing it into her chest down to the top of her swimming costume which causes Sam to raised an eyebrow. "I would've thought that as a doctor, you would know that that's _not_ my shoulders." Sam quipped.

"Oh I know these aren't your shoulders, they're much, much nicer to look at." Tom whispered before he pecked Sam on the lips.

"Do my legs." Sam ordered. "I can't bend down that far." She added and Tom chuckled before he knelt down on the grass and covered her in cream until she was completely protected from the sun.

"I know you can't bend down this far, you haven't shaved your legs." Tom said seriously.

"What? I thought I had-"

"Calm down, I'm just messing with you." He admitted. "Right. We can just let this soak in. And in the meantime, watch this." Tom smiled as he picked up a wet tennis ball. "Shadow!" Tom shouted and the panting border collie came sprinting out of the house and sat in front of Tom. "Ready... Fetch!" He ordered as he threw the ball into the swimming pool and Shadow showed no reluctance as she launched herself into the pool, grabbed the ball in her mouth and then ran back to Tom. However once she had given him the ball, she shook herself free of some of the water in her fur and Sam ended up getting sprayed by her.

"Lovely." Sam said sarcastically.

"Well, you're gonna get wet sometime." Tom announced as he dropped the tennis ball, heaved Sam up and carried her bridal style into the pool.

"Don't you dare drop me in there." Sam threatened.

"I wouldn't. Well I can't, but only because you're pregnant. If you weren't I probably would drop you." Tom admitted as he put her onto her feet in the pool in the water that came up to her knees.

"What did you get when you went shopping?" Sam asked curiously.

"Quite a lot." Tom replied simply. "But I got burgers that we can do on the BBQ tonight with salad and a corn on the cob and for tomorrow, I thought we could have a creamy mushroom sauce with chicken and pasta. And we could eat it al fresco." He explained. "Listen I know you've been having trouble sleeping at night because of the heat so why don't we rent an air conditioning machine for the bedroom for a while?" Tom suggested as they both slowly waded around in the cool water.

"No, it's not worth the money. I'll be fine. And besides, I can always go for a midnight swim now." Sam replied. "Just being in here for a few minutes is enough to cool me down. Plus I might just start spending my weekends in a swimming costume full time. It's a lot cooler." Sam stated as she placed her hands on her bump.

"And I have no objections to that." Tom smirked. "By the way, I've got you a few small presents in the kitchen. And there's some more strawberries for you seeing as you seem to be going through a pack of them every day." Tom smiled. Sam's eyes lit up as she heard about the strawberries so she got out of the pool and grabbed the towel from the picnic blanket. She dried off her legs and wrapped the towel around her before she went into the kitchen where there was a carrier bag left on the side. She washed the strawberries in a colander by the sink, before she grabbed a knife and cut the top off of a single strawberry. "Are you craving strawberries? Because you haven't had any cravings yet and I think that this might be one." Tom stated as he came in in just his swimming trunks.

"It's not a craving. I always used to eat strawberries in the summer when I was a kid, it just reminds me of when I was little and spending summers in the park with my friends." Sam admitted before she put the knife down after having a few and she moved back to the carried bag. "Plus they're healthy and they taste nice." She added. Sam opened the knot at the top to reveal a bag containing a jar of Nutella, lip balm, a new clear nail varnish that she always liked to wear to keep her nails protected, a new album that she had wanted, a pack of marshmallows and some skewers.

"I though we could have a fire in the chiminea tonight and roast some marshmallows." Tom admitted.

"Thank you but, why are you always getting me little presents?" Sam asked curiously. "I mean I like them an' all, but you really don't need to."

"I get you little presents because as a doctor, I know how much your little body is doing at this very second. And you probably assumed that I know you're pregnant and that's it, but I really, really appreciate what you're going through and I want you to know that I'm here for you." Tom explained and Sam smiled to herself as she shyly looked at the floor.

"Thank you." She spoke up eventually as she briefly went on her tiptoes and pecked Tom on the lips.

* * *

Tom was watching TV whilst Sam waddled into the kitchen for a glass of water, only she noticed a plant on the windowsill and it was almost certainly coriander that had been bought from tescos. Presumably Tom had gotten it for cooking something, but Sam remembered that her old fashioned mother - who had been a house wife - always grew herbs and spices because she had the time to do so. And Sam always picked at them when she wasn't looking.

For old times sake, Sam picked a few leaves, washed them, patted them dry with kitchen roll and then put them in her mouth and the intense flavour was better than she remembered so she had a few more. But Tom had heard the tap running several times on and off where she had been washing the leaves and he came out to find her picking more leaves off of the coriander plant.

"What on earth are you eating that for?" Tom laughed as he leant in the doorway.

"It's nice. Try some." Sam said as she offered him some of the leaves.

"I'll pass thanks." He chuckled. "I got that to make a curry on Monday night." He protested.

"Well it's Saturday now so it's got a few days to grow back." Sam replied simply as she put the leaves in her mouth.

"Now this has got to be a craving." Tom stated.

"It's not!" Sam protested. "I just used to have it when I was younger and plus it's not wrong to eat something that I like is it?" She moaned.

"No but it's just odd that you're eating plain coriander leaves by themselves." Tom stated. "Anyways, how about I get the chiminea started?" Tom suggested.

"Yeah okay. But keep Shadow out of the pool now, she needs to dry off." Sam warned as Tom stepped outside into the garden.

"I will." He huffed like a child as he quite enjoyed making Shadow play fetch in the pool.

* * *

It was beginning to get dark and Sam and Tom were sitting next to each other cross legged on the picnic blanket just a metre away from the clay chiminea that was roaring away and keeping them warm whilst the evening chill was arriving. They had already had a few roasted marshmallows with a bit of melted Nutella and so they were just relaxing on the peaceful summer evening.

"I have a confession to make." Tom admitted.

"That sounds ominous." Sam replied worriedly.

"Well when I went shopping, I... I may have bought a few beers and put them in the bottom of the fridge." Tom admitted apprehensively.

"I know, I've seen them." Sam said bluntly. "Tom have a drink." Sam ordered. "You don't have to stop just because of me, and don't sound so guilty about it. I'm not expecting you to go without alcohol for nine months."

"Phew." Tom let out a mock sigh of relief before he unwrapped himself from the blanket but he kept Sam under it, before he went into the kitchen where Shadow was curled up in her basket because they didn't want her being outside where her fur would get smoky and she would need a bath. He grabbed a can of beer from the fridge as well as Sam's new bottle of clear nail varnish before he went and sat down again. "Right, c'mon I've never painted someone's nails before but how hard can it be?" Tom smiled as he took a sip of his beer and then balanced it on the grass as he got in a position for Sam to stretch her legs out.

"Well it can't be any worse than the job that it'd do on my toenails because I can't even reach them." Sam retorted as she kept the blanket around her shoulders whilst she extended her legs and put her feet on Tom's lap. She was wearing a dark blue hooded onesie with two wet handprints on her abdomen and the phrase 'HANDS OFF THE BUMP'.

"Jesus, your feet are freezing!" Tom stated.

"My feet are always freezing." Sam stated bluntly as they often had play fights in bed as to whether Tom would let Sam put her feet in between his to warm them up and they would end up having a childish game of 'footsie'.

* * *

"Right. I'm going to bed." Sam announced tiredly as she dropped the blanket off of her shoulders.

"Alright, I'm coming too." Tom stated as he stood up and then he pulled Sam to her feet too. The fire was almost finished in the clay chiminea, it was on fresh green grass and it was safely burning out so Tom grabbed the two empty cans of beer and the blanket and picnic rug before he followed Sam inside and locked the back door. "Right. Stay... Stay... Good girl, stay..." Tom said sternly to Shadow - who was still in her bed - as he attempted to get her to sleep in her bed rather than joining him and his wife in their double bed where space was already tight. "Stay." He said finally before he switched the kitchen light off and went into the bedroom. Sam used the bathroom first then got into bed. And Tom was just coming out of the bathroom when Shadow padded in, jumped up on the bed and curled up by Sam's feet.

"She's annoying when you wanna stretch your legs out but I don't want to kick her off." Sam admitted sleepily as she lifted her head from her pillow.

"She's not gonna hate you because you make her sleep in her own bed." Tom stated.

"It's not about her hating me, I just don't want to be cruel." Sam whispered as Tom laid besides her and they both looked up at the ceiling once the lights had been turned off.

"Well I have no problem in kicking her off." Tom said smugly.

"I know; that's why she likes chewing your shoes and not mine." Sam retorted. "Well, that and because they stink." She added cheekily.

"Oi, bedtime means quiet." Tom ordered.

"Yes Mr Kent." Sam huffed before she closed her eyes to rest after a long day of doing almost nothing.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom have an argument and Sam ends up in hospital. Is it anything serious?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Saturday 13th June 2015**

At 28 weeks, Sam was finding it increasingly difficult to sleep for long periods of time, and she almost never slept through the night without having to get up and go to the toilet, or stretch her legs and go for a walk, or get comfortable again. And so she had been getting up early because she could never get back to sleep when she woke around 6am even though it was a Saturday. Tom had gotten out of bed to use the toilet when he reentered the bedroom in his boxers to find Sam sitting up on the edge of the bed in shorts and a vest. She stood up slightly, but she mumbled something before she fell back onto the bed and clutched her forehead.

"Hey? Sam, you okay?" Tom asked worriedly as he dived around the room and knelt down in front of her.

"Yeah... I just... I got up to fast... Gimme a minute." She panted whilst she took long slow breaths to combat the dizziness.

"Okay, take all the time you need." Tom said softly.

"Can you... Can you get me some water please?" Sam croaked.

"Yeah sure, just don't try and stand up before I get back." He said sternly as he jumped up and jogged to the kitchen. He poured her a glass of ice cold water from the fridge and carried it through where thankfully, Sam was still sitting on the edge of the bed. "There you go." He said softly as he handed it to her.

"Thanks." Sam mumbled before she took a few sips. "I'd better get up."

"Right now stand up nice and slowly. That's it. You feeling alright? Yeah? Just take it slower. There's no rush." Tom said reassuringly as he helped her to her feet.

"Big day today." Sam stated.

"What? Why have you got an appointment?" Tom asked confusedly.

"No. It's delivery day of the stuff we ordered from mothercare." Sam stated. "Don't tell me you forgot." Sam moaned. "You're supposed to help me move all of our things into boxes under the bed and then dismantle the chest of drawers and get everything read."

"I will, I will. We've got plenty of time. When are the delivery men coming?"

"How can you say we've got plenty of time when you don't even know what time they're coming?" Sam laughed. "We've got a delivery slot of between 10am and 11am. And don't forget that we said we'd speak about moving to a bigger place." She added.

"I know, stop panicking we've got all day." Tom said reassuringly. "Right, I hadn't anticipated getting up this early on a Saturday morning but seeing as we've got so much to do, I suppose the first thing on the agenda is breakfast. What would you like?" He asked.

Suddenly Sam's face lit up and she grabbed Tom's hand and placed it on the top of her bump. At 28 weeks gone, she was getting pretty big and a waddle was hard to avoid but it would all be worth it in the end. And to Tom, it was worth it when he felt his son kick against his hand through his wife's skin.

"Are you practicing your penalties with mummy'a bladder in there?" Tom smiled as he placed both hands on her bump to wait for any more kicks.

"More like keppy uppies with my intestines." Sam retorted as her internal organs had been getting more and more compacted as the weeks went by resulting in more and more problems for her.

"I've been meaning to ask actually..." Tom admitted. "Don't forget I'm a doctor so I've heard it all before. What are your bowel movements like?" He asked softly as he had wondered if she suffered from the common pregnancy problem of constipation and he knew that she probably wouldn't be embarrassed by it, but she would probably try to deal with it herself.

"Fine." Sam replied briefly as she pulled her thin grey dressing gown on and made her way into the kitchen with Tom in tow.

"'Fine'? And how often is 'fine'?" Tom asked as he put Shadow's breakfast of dry dog food down and she eagerly began munching away in her bowl on the floor whilst Sam poured herself a glass of water and got her bottle of prenatal vitamins out from the medicine cabinet.

"Twice a day." Sam stated bluntly before she swallowed a tablet, along with a sip of water.

"Twice?" Tom questioned.

"Yeah. There's stool softeners in these vitamins, plus I'm eating more, drinking more and there's less room in my bowels so I go more frequently but in smaller quantities." Sam explained clinically and Tom picked up the bottle of prenatal vitamins to check the ingredients before he put the bottle back in the cupboard.

"Alright, thanks for telling me." Tom said gratefully before he pecked her on the forehead. "So c'mon, you didn't answer my question: what do you want for breakfast?"

* * *

Despite the fact that Sam wanted to have a discussion about them moving into a bigger house, they had already agreed that they weren't going to move until a few months after the baby was born, at the earliest. And so they were in the midst of preparing their bedroom so that they would be ready for a new arrival in just a few months time. Before, they had had a double bed, two bedside cabinets, two single wardrobes and a large chest of draws that they shared however they needed to make the bedroom for three rather than two son they were making adjustments. They had ordered the majority of he hat they would need for the new baby from Mothercare and it was going to be delivered and they had placed several plastic storage boxes under the bed so that they made the most of what room that they had.

"When the delivery gets here, I don't want you carrying anything heavy okay?" Tom said sternly as he was taking apart one of the wardrobes because Tom was going to share with Sam and most of his trousers could go in the boxes under the bed.

"I won't." Sam huffed.

"Right." Tom heaved the last of the three draws that were in the bottom of his wardrobe and he placed it onto the bed. It was full of his socks and pants. "Did you say you've cleared out a draw for me?" Tom asked as he went to open Sam's wardrobe but she jumped up and put her hand on his to stop him from opening the top draw.

"Wait, that's my draw." Sam said sternly as he eyes shifted left to right between his eyes.

"Why, what have you got to hide?" Tom chuckled but he stopped once he'd realised that she genuinely didn't want him looking in there.

"Your draw is the bottom draw." Sam said to change the subject.

"Okay." Tom nodded as he opened the draw closest to the ground and he began moving his socks and underwear into the spare draw.

"Promise me you won't go in my draw." Sam ordered.

"I promise." Tom smiled, though it had only made him want to see what was in there more. Maybe she had a secret stash of something that she was craving in there, or maybe she had a birthday present for him in there, after all he was going to be 31 next month.

* * *

Sam had gotten a little out of breath so once they had put the beautiful wooden cot together and positioned it by the wall on Sam's side of the bed, Tom tucked Sam up in bed and encouraged her to take a nap because she had been working hard with constructing the damn piece of furniture and she had also spent time filling up the chest of drawers with baby clothes, nappies and other things that they had bought, leaving Tom to finish off. It had taken over an hour without Sam's help, but he had finally finished the bedroom. With the double bed where it always was, and cot and changing table against the wall, the wardrobe in the corner and the chest of draws next to it and Sam's birth bag by the door, they were ready for the new arrival.

Tom glanced behind him in the silent room and saw Sam lying in bed and she appeared to have fallen in a deep sleep as the duvet slowly rose and fell with every breath. It was then that Tom remembered about the unknown draw and he thought for a few moments, before he decided that if he opened it whilst Sam was asleep, she'd never know and there'd be no harm done. So he silently opened the wardrobe door, and then slowly pulled the top draw out that was underneath the hanging clothes. It's contents included Sam's bras and underwear as expected, but there was also some paracetamol, Gaviscon, panty liners, breast pads, bio oil (for stretch marks) and gel packs (used for burns or fevers). He was shocked because as far as he knew, she had been having a fairly easy pregnancy. But it turned out she hadn't been being truthful with him about everything. Assuming that she used what she had in that draw, she had probably experienced heart burn, headaches, leaking breasts and hot flushes and she had never said one word about those to him.

"Get out." He heard and he jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see Sam standing up next to the bed - she must've gotten up silently.

"Sam I-"

"Get out of here right now. I told you that's my draw and you _promised_ me that you wouldn't go in there so you just have to open it don't you? I trusted you and then you go and do this. How am I supposed to trust you that you haven't been sleeping with someone else?"

"What? Sam I'd never-"

"Well I can't understand how you've been fine with having sex like once a month, if that." Sam retorted.

'I'm fine with it because my love for you isn't based on us having sex, I love you for who you are not what we do in bed." Tom stated.

"Did you not hear me? I said get out!" Sam shouted as she left the bedroom and Tom followed cautiously behind her, only his heart dropped when he realised that she opened the front door and looked back at him - she didn't just want him to leave the room, she wanted him out of the apartment. "Out." She said firmly.

"I'm sorry." He apologised before he grabbed his keys from the side and he left as Sam slammed the door behind him.

What had she done? She was being so moody and all he had done was open a draw - heck of it was the other way around, Sam probably would've let curiosity get the better of her too. But she had chucked her own husband out of his own home. What kind of a wife did that? Apparently a horrible, grouchy, stupid woman Sam thought as she slid down the wall and sat on the floor in the hallway, just waiting for Tom to return.

Quickly, Sam decided that she could fix it if she tried, so she heaved herself onto her feet and opened the front door, only to see that Tom's car had just pulled out of their quiet road, onto the main road and out of sight; he had really gone. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and dialled his mobile, but after hearing the smallest snippets of a dialling tone, it went to voicemail - she assumed that he had hung up on her so she went and opened a new message to send to him. '_Tom I'm sorry, please can we just talk?_' She then sat back down in the hallway and she waited for hours into the late night hoping that Tom would come back.

* * *

**Sunday 14th June 2015, 9am**

Tom was sat on a park bench in the local park where Sam usually walked Shadow and he had been waiting for almost an hour, just hoping that Sam would show up and he could speak to her, because his phone had ran out of charge and he hadn't heard from her since she'd chucked him out. He was just worried that if he went back to their home, she might not have calmed down yet so he really needed to call her. But how could he without his phone to use?

Suddenly, it clicked; he had a charger in his car that connected to the cigarette lighter so Tom jumped up and strolled over to his car before he plugged his iPhone into the charger and waited. He switched his phone on, and once his phone had finished loading, he realised that he had 11 missed calls, and 8 new text messages; Sam had been trying to contact him so maybe she had calmed down after all.

'_Tom I'm sorry, please can we just talk?_' - 5:23pm

'_Please don't ignore me, I love you and I'm really sorry_.' - 5:23pm

'_Tom I miss you, please come home_.' - 7:44pm

'_I shouldn't have accused you of cheating on me, I was being a stupid cow. Please just text back so I know that you're safe_.' - 11:20pm

'_Tom I feel awful about what I did and I know I'm a horrible wife but I love you. Doesn't that account for anything_?' - 3:01am

'_Im gonna be an awful Mum Tom, I need you to give your son the childhood that neither of us had_.' - 4:35am

'_I'm in hospital so if you're really gonna leave me, now's your chance to get your stuff from my apartment_.' - 8:07am

'_And if you're divorcing me, please don't take Shadow away from me and just get the whole thing over and done with; I don't want to be fighting for months it won't be good for my son_.' - 8:08am

Tom's heart broke as he began to read the messages, and clearly, her hormones had gone haywire of the several hours that he had been gone for, only when he got to the second to last text that had been sent just over hour ago, he froze. Sam was in hospital. Why was she in hospital? She didn't have a shift because it was a Sunday morning so that could only mean that something had gone wrong with the baby. Maybe it had been the stress that he had caused. No, she couldn't have gone into early labour could she? She was only 28 weeks, their baby wasn't ready to come in to the world so he quickly dialled her number only it went straight to voicemail. He quickly started the engine, shoved the gearstick into reverse and pulled out to go straight to the hospital.

* * *

Tom burst out of the stairwell and sprinted to the maternity desk where thankfully there wasn't a queue.

"Is Sam Kent here?" Tom demanded.

"Sorry sir, I can't give out information about our patients." The receptionist said politely.

"It's Tom isn't it?" A female behind the receptionist queried and Tom looked up to see a familiar woman.

"Yeah um... Oh you're Sandra aren't you? You did our 12 week scan." Tom thankfully remembered her name.

"Yes and it's good to see you again, but Emily is right, we can't tell you the dates of Sam's appointments because it's protocol and patient confidentiality I'm afraid." She apologised.

"Wait. Appointments." Tom muttered to himself. "Is there a 28 week appointment? Do women normally have an appointment at 28 weeks?" Tom demanded. He was forever forgetting Sam's appointments and he always ended up remembering when Sam was literally about to walk out of the door and Tom would have to rush to join her.

"I can tell you that they do, yes." Sandra nodded as she picked up a patients file. "Sorry but I've got to get on.

Tom stood there and as he caught his breath back from running up the stairs, his heart began to stop pounding too as he began to remember Sam saying something about an appointment a couple of days ago - his wife wasn't in labour. Then he thought he was imagining things when he saw Sam come out of a consult room and she took her phone out of her bag, presumably to turn it on. Just as she looked up, she let out a sigh of relief because she had been worried about him all night.

"Tom?" Sam said innocently.

"Hey." Was all Tom could think to reply as he was too busy noticing the tired appearance of his wife. She had dark bags under her eyes, her hair was tied back in a messy bun and she looked like she hadn't even bothered to have a shower as he hair looked a little greasy.

"Why didn't you reply to any of my texts or answer my calls? I've been worried sick." Sam grumbled.

"Because my phone ran out of charge and I only realised about ten minutes ago that I could charge it with the cigarette lighter in the car which is why I raced here." He explained. "Look I'm sorry for going in that draw, and don't you dare call yourself a 'terrible wife' or a 'bad mum' because you're neither. And of course I don't want a divorce, why on earth would anyone want to divorce you? Unless their name is Dylan and they prefer the company of animals to humans." Tom retorted. "So am I forgiven?" He asked as he took her hand in his.

"I should be the one asking for forgiveness, I chucked you out and I had no right to do that." Sam stated.

"Well then let's both move on from this, go home and relax. And I think you could do with a little nap." He added.

"Oh so you're saying I look tired now are you?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm saying that seeing as some of your texts were sent at three or four o'clock in the morning, I'm assuming that you didn't get a very good sleep." Tom said cleverly as they continued to hold hands whilst they made their way to the lift. "That reminds me, how did your appointment go?" Tom asked curiously.

"The usual pee in a pot, blood pressure and talk about a lot of rubbish that I already know." Sam stated as the lift doors closed and they headed home.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom discuss baby names but one of them is certainly more enthusiastic than the other.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thursday 2nd July 2015, 5:59am**

At 31 weeks pregnant, Sam always ended up sleeping in the middle of the bed and because she went to bed earlier than Tom, she left him to get into bed and cuddle her from either the front or the back - whichever side had more room each night. They were still in the midst of a scorching hot summer so they never slept with a duvet on anymore, and Tom laid as the morning sun crept through the curtains with his arms around Sam's bare bump as she had resorted to sleeping in a sports bra and shorts. He too was only in his boxer shorts as he felt his wife begin to stir.

"What time is-" Sam croaked but she was interrupted by a loud buzz and Tom reached behind him and smacked the alarm off. "Nevermind." Sam grumbled as she knew that it was 6am. She had a good stretch before she curled up with her knees up to her bump and her fingers entwined with Tom's fingers on her bump. "I actually slept like a baby for once." Sam admitted.

"Well our baby didn't sleep like a baby." Tom said sleepily into Sam's ear. "I got into bed not long after you and he was kicking away like there was no tomorrow." Tom stated proudly.

"I don't suppose you've got morning wood have you?" Sam asked curiously.

"I have it every morning. Why?" Tom smirked.

"Well I blame the hormones but y'know... I've heard that morning sex is the best because-"

"Trust me, you don't need to give me a reason." Tom smirked. "Tender this morning?" Tom queried as he gently rested his hands on her black sports bra that she favoured over wearing normal bras as it gave more support and covered more up so that she didn't have to wear a shirt.

"Nope. Knock yourself out." Sam replied bluntly

"Well it wouldn't exactly be hard to get knocked out by these would it?" He smirked as he smoothed his hands over her breasts, around her bump and then he pulled her shorts and underwear down.

"Can you make sure you only go gentle, and not too deep, please?" Sam asked timidly whilst Tom pulled down his boxers.

"Course I will." He whispered before they had a short but pleasurable session of making love together to put them in a good mood to get ready for work that day.

* * *

**6pm**

"Oi!" Tom playfully swatted Sam's hand away from yet another coriander plant that he had been requested to buy as Sam like eating the leaves so much and so she had fallen in love with curry with fresh coriander in it - but not too spicy of course, otherwise that would give her heartburn in the night so Tom was cooking them a low fat chicken korma for dinner.

"I'm just gonna take Shadow up to the park for a walk, okay?" Sam said as she slid her feet into her flip flops - she hated wearing shoes with laces or any kind of trainers because they required Sam to bend down and pull them on, and with a massive bump, that didn't happen easily.

"Be careful, don't go too far." Tom warned to which Sam rolled her eyes. "Have you got your phone?"

"Yes." Sam huffed as she picked up Shadow's black lead, and upon hearing the chink of the metal clip, Shadow bounded in from the garden and sat at her owner's feet. "Good girl." Sam praised as she attached the lead to Shadow's collar and then she groaned slightly as she stood up properly.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until after we've had dinner so that I can come with you?" Tom asked, as he wasn't particularly happy with letting Sam out of his sight when she was so heavily pregnant, but he didn't want to suffocate her and give her no freedom; it wouldn't be fair.

"No because if I take Shadow out, then she will be too worn out to even attempt to eat my dinner." Sam retorted as the dog was always after scraps and she would sometimes jump up at the table when Sam went to the toilet during a meal. "Right, bye." She pecked Tom on the cheek and then followed Shadow who was eagerly heading towards the park - but thankfully, she was well behaved and she wasn't pulling Sam to the park.

* * *

Tom had just put the warmed plates at the small table for two ready to serve up dinner when the front door opened and his wife and dog had returned home.

"You're just in time, dinner's done." Tom announced.

"'Kay." Sam shouted eyesore she locked the door, kicked her flip flops off and took Shadow's lead off of her. She quickly washed her hands and then sat at the table where Tom had served up two generous portions of chicken korma sprinkled with fresh coriander, pilau rice and half a naan bread each. "Um Tom..." Sam began as she played about with her fork.

"Yes." Tom replied slowly.

"You know that, we didn't get her spayed so that she didn't have behavioural problems?"

"Yes." Tom replied confusedly.

"Well she kind of got a little bit too friendly with another border collie in the park." Sam admitted.

"What?!"

"Well I let her off of her lead, sat down on a bench to catch my breath back and she just kind of... You know! But it was literally as soon as I saw her, the other dog pulled away from her and then the owner took his dog disappeared so I didn't get the chance to ask if his dog was neutered or not." Sam explained.

"What were you paying attention to that you wasn't watching Shadow?"

"I was watching the parents pushing their kids on the swings in the park." Sam admitted quietly and Tom couldn't help but lose the slight tone of anger in his voice at his wife's maternal side coming out.

"Well if it was only quick then she's probably fine."

"And what if she is pregnant?"

"Then we'll be having puppies. I'm sure she's fine because she hasn't even started her heats yet." Tom stated bluntly. "And the chances are, that that other dog was neutered already. C'mon, don't get stressed about it, enjoy your dinner and I'll run you a bath after this yeah? We can finally get around to talking about names."

"Not this again." Sam moaned.

"Sam, our son is due in 9 weeks; we need to start thinking about names."

"But how can we chose a name if we don't know what he looks like?" Sam protested.

"Well we're not gonna chose a name for definite but it's good to have a top ten list or something, isn't it? It'll make it easier if we've chosen before hand what names we like, and if we chose a name while we're in hospital, we won't have to go to the town hall to register the birth."

"Fine." Sam huffed before she shoved a bit of naan bread in her mouth.

Sam was laying in warm, soapy water with her wet hair that had gotten longer and thicker during pregnancy, hanging over her shoulders and covering her breasts to stop Tom from looking whilst he sat besides her on the bathroom mat. The water was full to the brim of the bath and yet Sam's navel was still sticking out of the water was her bump was too big to be concealed anymore.

"Right, is there anything in particular that you want to go for?" Tom asked curiously.

"Like what?"

"Well do you prefer old names, popular names, unique names, or do you want to chose a name with a meaning?"

"To be perfectly honest I don't care about any of that. I just want us to chose a name that we both like, and I'll be happy with that." Sam replied.

"Okay, so let's brainstorm names that we like, and then we can narrow it down to a top ten." Tom stated as he picked up his notepad and pen. He drew a bubble in the middle of a page and wrote 'Name Ideas' before he drew a line off of the bubble and looked at Sam. "Well don't give me too many names at once will you?" Tom joked sarcastically.

"I don't know." Sam admitted. "I keep on trying to think of names that go with Kent but the only name I can think of that goes, is Tom."

"Well maybe he could be Tom Kent Junior." Tom joked.

"Mm, and maybe we should call him North West Kent too." Sam retorted. "Remember when the woman who sold us Shadow gave us a tip on naming her? She said remember that whatever you chose, you've got to be comfortable shouting it across the park without sounding stupid. So maybe we should go on that rule for naming him."

"You want us to use the same rule for a dog, for our son?" Tom laughed.

"Well I can imagine that he's going to be as cheeky as you are, and if he is that means that as soon as he learns to run he's going to be running away from us everywhere we go. I can just imagine it now, he'll be hiding from us when we go shopping and then he'll knock over a massive, expensive display and he'll just pull a little innocent face like you always do."

"Hey stop changing the subject woman, now give me names." Tom ordered.

"Ethan, Caleb, Charlie, Martin, Guy, Lofty-"

"Stop naming people at work."

"Jack? Michael, James, Jonathan, Connor, Matthew, Luke, Daniel, Adam, Jake, Ryan, Harry, Ben." Sam listed slowly whilst Tom wrote the names down around the brainstorm. "Haven't you got any names that you'd like to contribute?"

"I quite like Max, and Andrew, Josh maybe. Alex, Liam, Evan, Chris, David or William?" Tom said questioningly as he wrote the names down.

"William? I don't think so." Sam remarked sternly.

"Okay, no William." Tom corrected as he crossed the name off of the brainstorm. "Right, let's try and cut this down to the top ten." Tom said as he showed Sam the brainstorm and held it up.

"I don't think Evan Kent sounds right." Sam admitted.

"Yeah I agree. But I'm not too sure about Connor Kent either." Tom admitted cautiously because it hadn't been he who had suggested the name.

"Tom I'm not gonna cry if you don't like one of the names I said, just cross it off." Sam said bluntly and Tom chuckled before he did so. "Wouldn't it be easier to choose the top ten rather than end up with ten names by elimination?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah okay." Tom drew a small box in the corner of the page where there was some space and he wrote the numbers one to ten. "But these aren't ranked as in number one is our favourite, it's just the ten that we like."

"Okay."

Soon, they ended up with their top ten names: Michael, Ben, Daniel, Liam, Harry, Adam, David, Andrew, Jonathan and Alex. But what name would they choose for their son? And would there be repercussions of Shadow's trip to the park?

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom discuss their worries about becoming new parents.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sunday 5th July 2015**

Sam, who was 31 weeks pregnant, had just been taking a quick afternoon nap in the bedroom so Tom had taken the opportunity to make their lunch for the next day to eat at work. He was making egg mayonnaise sandwiches and he was just mixing everything together when Sam came in, feeling refreshed after her snooze.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Sam grimaced as the horrid smell of hard boiled eggs being mashed up immediately made her feel nauseous.

"I'm making sandwiches for-" Tom stopped as Sam quickly took two steps until she reached the sink and she vomited before she turned on her feet and ran through the hallway and out of the front door. "Sam? Sam?" He called after her as he chased after her and found her leaning on her car with the back of her hand over her mouth and her other hand over her bump with Shadow sitting by her feet - the dog was very obedient and even if the door was left open, she wouldn't go far. "Sorry, was it the smell?" He asked worried and she nodded in return. "I'm sorry, I thought you were going to stay in bed and read or something I didn't think that you'd come in." Tom admitted. "Plus I didn't think that it'd make you throw up in the first place." He added. "You feel alright now?"

"Um yeah." She replied eventually. "But I'm gonna go take shadow walk down by the river and get some air." Sam replied simply.

"Wait. I'll chuck the stuff out and then I'll come with you yeah?"

"Yeah but leave the kitchen window open. And you need to run the tap in the sink for a while." She added awkwardly. She didn't want him to throw away his lunch just because she couldn't stand the smell, but she didn't want that vile creation in her fridge, let alone in the staffroom where she would probably be sick at work. Again.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be two minutes." Tom stated before he ran back into the house. He soon came out with his keys and Shadow's lead which he attached to the collar, then locked up and then began taking a gentle stroll in the warm Summer's evening.

* * *

"Sorry I didn't mean to make you ill." Tom apologised again.

"It's okay, you didn't know. Just don't do it again." Sam replied as she slipped the lead out of Tom's hand so that she could walk her dog herself. They walked in a comfortable silence for a little longer until the reached the river and the continued walking along the path besides the flowing water. "It's getting scary now... He's almost here and I don't feel prepared enough." Sam admitted.

"We're as prepared as anyone can be for a new baby." Tom said reassuringly. "We've got the bedroom sorted, your birth bag is packed and you're up to date with all your appointments so it's just you being worried, all new mums go through it."

"I booked him a place by the way at the hospital crèche by the way. I went on Friday during my lunch break to speak to the head carer and I know we said we'd talk about how long my maternity leave would be but there was only one space that is going to become available and that is in January so after my due date, I'll have about three months off of work before I go back. And if I hadn't have booked that place then we might not have gotten a space for months after that." Sam explained.

"Well that was lucky then wasn't it?" Tom smiled. "And if he's in the hospital crèche then rather than asking Zoe for frequent breaks to express milk, you can actually go and breast feed him can't you? And we can take him for walks in the peace garden during our lunch breaks." Tom explained but he realised that Sam wasn't paying attention, she was staring at an ice cream can where the children from the play area had ran over to. "Shall we go and get an ice cream?" Tom suggested after patting his pockets and ensuring that he still had some change left in them.

"What? No, I don't want one, I was just thinking that that's gonna be our son in a few years." Sam said quietly as she nodded over to a young boy who was jumping up and down as he begged his father for money for a sweet treat.

"Of course it's not." Tom smirked which caused Sam confusion. "If our son is anything like you, he'll be begging for fruit or he'd prefer to go for a run around in the park than go for an ice cream." Tom explained which was when he noticed that Sam was slightly out of breath. "Come on, let's go home. There's an armchair with your name on it."

* * *

Sam was sat in her snow leopard maternity onesie in the armchair with her feet on the pouffe. Shadow was sat in the small gap besides her with her front paws and head rested on Sam's thighs. Tom had just changed into his pyjama shorts when Sam felt a kick.

"Tom." She called in a tone that he knew what she meant. He came in smiling and went to put his hand on Sam's bump but suddenly Shadow lifted her head and began growling at Tom as she stared at his hovering hand.

"Get out the way you stupid dog." Tom ordered but as he moved his hand slightly closer again, Shadow growled and opened her mouth to show Tom her full set of sharp teeth. "Oi! That's my baby too!" Tom laughed. But Shadow just ignored him before she placed her head on Sam's bump whilst she kept a watchful eye on the man.

"Nevermind, he's stopped kicking." Sam shrugged and Tom shook his head as he sat down on the longer sofa that was adjacent to Sam's armchair.

"I think she thinks that she owns you." Tom grumbled.

"No one owns me."

"I own you." Tom argued.

"I'll own a lovely pair of testicles in my hands in a minute if you don't stop saying you own me." Sam threatened. "I've been looking dog pregnancy up by the way." Sam admitted.

"Sam, she hasn't started her heats, she can't be pregnant." Tom stated.

"But what if that was her first heat? When a dog is in heat her hormones attract other male dogs and when I took her for the walk to the park on _that_ day, quite a few dogs came up to her and two of them were aggressive to each other and I just pulled Shadow away from them. And she's being clingy now. What if she's protecting our baby because she knows she's pregnant and she's feeling maternal?" Sam asked and Tom had to pause and think about it.

"Well why don't we take her to a vets and find out if she is pregnant?" Tom suggested.

"Because the earliest way to find out is a blood test to test for relaxin, and that is only detected around three weeks into the pregnancy and right now, if she is pregnant, she'd only be three days gone." Sam replied. "Did you know that a dogs pregnancy lasts around 9 weeks? That means if she is pregnant, she'll have a similar due date to our baby." Sam stated.

"Well then, we shall take her to the vets in three weeks. And we can find out then." Tom stated. "I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing if she was pregnant. Because then she'd sleep in her own bed with her puppies, and then there wouldn't be a big lump taking up more than her fair share of the bed."

"Is that a polite way of hinting to me that you want more room in the bed?" Sam queried.

"No no, I'm saying I end up kicking her off in the night but I suppose I'd better be careful now, just in case she is pregnant. And you don't take up loads of the bed anyway."

"Tom I sleep in the middle of our double bed." Sam retorted.

"Ah yes, but one: we've got a king sized bed so there's plenty of room and two: you sleeping in the middle gives me no option but to snuggle up to you at night." Tom smiled. "Just think, in as little as 6 weeks, you could be giving birth."

"Mm, and you could be sitting there with a broken hand from all the crushing." Sam couldn't help but give an evil smile at the thought whilst she gently stroked the fur on the top of Shadow's head and then tickled her behind the ear.

"Listen, what do you want me to do for you during the birth to make it as pleasant as possible for you?" Tom asked. "Do you want me to talk to you, tell you how well you're doing? Or do you just want it to be quiet? Or I could give you massages, or take you for shorts walks if you're allowed."

"I... I honestly can't answer these questions now; I don't know what it's going to be like until I'm in the thick of it." Sam replied. "But I'll try my best to remember to let you know what I want you to do when the time comes." She added. "Right up you get Shadow, or I'm gonna wet myself." Sam stated bluntly and reluctantly the dog got off of the armchair and then Sam padded into the bathroom. "Tom she's following me." Sam moaned.

"Well shut her outside the bathroom door." Tom replied and Sam did so. Only within moments, they could both hear Shadow whining and scratching at the door. "Let her in before she damages the paintwork." Tom joked.

"I can't, I'm sitting on the toilet!" Sam replied and so Tom got up from the sofa and opened the bathroom door open about a foot so that Shadow could barge through but not enough so that he could see his wife. "Wonderful, now she's sitting on my feet." Sam exclaimed sarcastically.

"Sam you couldn't see your feet anyway."

"Not funny."

A few minutes later, Sam came out to find Tom sitting in her armchair so she just went and sat on his lap.

"Jesus, get off you big lump!" Tom smirked.

"Ooh, look who's coming to join us." Sam sighed as Shadow jumped onto her lap causing Tom to groan further. "You love it really. It's the whole Kent Family together." Sam smiled smugly as she put Shadow's front paws on her chest and so the dog was lying over Sam's bump whilst Tom put his hands on Sam's thighs.

"Yeah it's wonderful. Can you two get off now before I lose the blood circulation to my balls?" Tom ordered. Sam giggled before she put Shadow on the pouffe and she got up to her feet but she groaned and then stretched out her back. "Come here." Tom said softly as he pulled Sam down onto the armchair and sat her between his legs. "How much is your back hurting?" He asked as he put his hands on her hips and used his thumbs to massage her lower back.

"Not much. It's only when I get up or sit down." Sam replied.

"So I just caused you pain twice." Tom concluded regretfully.

"You didn't know, it's alright."

"Just like I didn't know at that the smell would make you sick earlier. I seem to be doing all the wrong things for you today." Tom sighed.

"No you're not; this back massage is actually quite nice." Sam admitted sheepishly. "And I know that there probably won't be a lot of room, but how about we go and a shower together?" Sam suggested.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better but we both know that that's not what you want to do." Tom stated as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What do you mean? Why would I need to make you feel better? Has someone got the baby blues?" Sam teased but when she got no response, she actually had to think about her husband's state of mind. "I think I know how you're feeling." Sam spoke up after a short silence.

"Really? Because I don't even know how I'm feeling." Tom retorted.

"You're a bloke so you just think that you've gotta suck it up and take it like a man. And because you believe in that and you think I've got enough to deal with, you're keeping everything that you're worried about to yourself. Now, what you're keeping to yourself, I'm not sure. Maybe you're worried about becoming a dad... Maybe you're anxious about the birth or worried about having no freedom once he's born." Sam explained. "I feel exactly the same Tom; I'm not exactly a girly girl - I was in the army - so I have to pretend that I'm fine too."

"I'm not scared it's just..." Tom said defensively.

"I know." Sam nodded in agreement that they were both scared, they just didn't want to say it. "This is why we need to talk to each other more."

"You're one to talk about communication." Tom laughed.

"Well I promise from now on, I'll tell you everything- well, mostly everything."

"Me too." Tom nodded. "And for a start, about what you just said... I'm not worried about freedom once he's born, I'm just... I'm worried that I won't have a clue what to do once he is born. I mean I know about changing nappies and you're in charge of feeding but there's the whole thing of actually being a dad to him." Tom explained as he wrapped his arms around Sam and linked his fingers together over her bump.

"It'll come naturally to you. There are thousands of men out there that are far more immature and far less intelligent than you, and they've turned out to be great dads. And you, more than anyone, know what it's like not to have a dad so I know you'll do the best you possibly can. And that's all you can do." Sam said reassuringly.

"Thanks." Tom smiled. "What about you? There's got to be something that you're worried about."

"Honestly? I'm really worried about crapping myself when I give birth." Sam admitted and Tom burst out laughing. "It's not funny!' She protested.

"Sam, accidentally releasing the contents of your bowels during birth is perfectly fine, in fact it's pretty common I think." Tom stated. "It doesn't matter if you do or don't, you'll just get cleaned up and then we'll carry on."

"But it'll be mortifying!" Sam argued.

"Sam, - no pun intended - but if push comes to shove, it happens. Okay, and hopefully you'll be able to go to the toilet in early labour before you start pushing, and you can empty your bowels then."

"Whatever." Sam shrugged. "Right, I'm going to bed because I'm knackered." Sam announced and Tom gave her a little assistance in getting to her feet.

"Yep, I'll come with you; we've got work tomorrow." Tom stated as he got up, and of course, Shadow followed Sam into the bedroom. Tom went around, closed the windows, locked the front and back door and then by the time he got to the bedroom, Sam was already lying in the middle of the bed in here snow leopard onesie and Shadow was curled up by Sam's feet. He was already in his is pyjama shorts so he got onto the mattress - with no duvet as usual because it was warm enough to sleep without one, and then he switched the light off. "Night night." He whispered.

"Night." Sam mumbled sleepily, before she drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Coming up: What has Sam gotten Tom for his birthday? And when Sam takes Shadow to the vets for a pregnancy test, will she get the results she's been waiting for?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Saturday 11th July 2015**

"Happy birthday!" Tom slowly opened his eyes to see that Sam was holding a tray with two bacon sandwiches, one cup of coffee and one glass of water on. And she was balancing the tray on her 32 week bump.

"Thank you.'" Tom croaked as he slowly sat up and he then realised that there was a gift bag and a card on his bedside table. Sam sat down on the bed on her side with the tray in her lap, and then Shadow sat by her feet.

"There you go." She smiled as she handed him his bacon sandwich and coffee.

"Did you put-"

"Brown sauce in there? Yep and the bread is only warmed up, not toasted." Sam stated smugly.

"Mm, I'm impressed." Tom smirked before he took a bite into it. "Didn't you want some orange juice or a cup of tea?" He queried as he wondered why she was having a glass of water with her breakfast.

"It's too hot for tea, and I can't have orange juice because it'll affect how my prenatal vitamins are absorbed into my bloodstream." Sam explained.

"Okay. What time is it?"

"9am. So you'd better get a move on."

"Why? We haven't got work." Tom replied confusedly.

"No, but you've got somewhere to go. And Fletch is coming around here at 10am." Sam stated bluntly.

"For what?" Tom demanded.

"You'll see once you've opened your presents but finish your breakfast first." Sam ordered and so he shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth at once before he picked up the red envelope on his bedside table. He opened it and took out a birthday card, only two bits of paper fell out. He picked them up out of his lap to find that they were Manchester United tickets. "Kick off is at 3pm, Fletch is coming at 10am and the train is about 3 hours roughly. Then that leaves you two with two hours to spend in the pub before the match and then after the match, you can spend as much time as you want either celebrating, or drowning your sorrows - depending on the result." Sam explained.

"What? And you're staying here?" Tom asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna try some birthing positions and breathing exercises without you laughing at me." Sam smiled. "And I don't want you to worry about me or the baby; you are allowed to go out every now and then and have a drink or twenty. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that you have to look after me 24/7." Sam stated.

"Thank you." Tom leant across and pecked Sam on the cheek before she continued eating her breakfast - she hadn't shoved it in her mouth like he had because she knew that there would be repercussions of either nausea or indigestion.

"You're welcome. Now open your presents or you won't be ready by the time Fletch gets here." Sam ordered and Tom eagerly grabbed the red gift bag. "And before you comment, no I couldn't be bothered to wrap anything up." Sam stated bluntly.

"It's alright, you were just thinking of our baby's future weren't you? Saving paper." Tom joked as he took out the CD that he had asked for. He went through the small gifts and then he was about to get out of bed when Sam stopped him.

"Wait, there is one more present." Sam announced as she reached under the bed.

"That sounds ominous." Tom quipped before Sam launched a box at him. He turned it over to read 'baby sling' and he chuckled.

"I can just imagine you walking around the ED with him in a sling now." Sam smiled. "Hey, at least I got you a blue one. I could've gotten a pink one, or a little ducky one."

"Thank you. Although it's not just my present; you'll be using it too won't you?"

"Yeah, all the time when I go out in public." Sam replied sarcastically.

* * *

Sam was leaning on the wall in the hallway with Shadow sitting on her feet and Fletch was standing by the door as they waited for Tom to get ready.

"Try and touch my bump." Sam ordered.

"What?" Fletch replied confusedly.

"Just try it." Sam repeated. "But I hope you've got quick reflexes." She added and Fletch just assumed she was in a funny mood, so he put his hand out, but within a second Shadow began growling and tried to bite Fletch's hand.

"Woah! Jesus Christ she's violent." Fletch protested as he backed off from Sam. "You ought to be careful." He warned.

"I don't need to be, she's protecting me and the baby. Sometimes she won't even let Tom touch my bump." Sam remarked as she smoothed her hands over her abdomen. "And we think she's pregnant." Sam added.

"Correction: _you_ think she's pregnant." Tom shouted from the bedroom.

"Stop earwigging." Sam moaned.

"What? You think _Shadow_ is pregnant?" Fletch queried.

"Yeah. She got a little bit too friendly with another border collie in the park and when I looked up I saw them both stuck with their bums to each other until the other dog ran off and Shadow looked really vulnerable." Sam explained.

"So what? You're saying that she was raped?" Fletch smirked.

"No, I'm just saying that we might be having puppies." Sam smiled.

"Right. I'm ready." Tom announced.

"Hallelujah." Sam sighed sarcastically.

"Anyone would think you're tryin' to get rid of me." Tom joked as he pecked Sam on the lips. "Right, I'll see you later, and let me know if you want me to come back or-"

"Tom I just want the day to myself so I can relax, so get out of here!" Sam ordered as she opened the front door after removing her feet from underneath Shadow.

"She must be such a loving wife to live with." Fletch joked as the two men left and Sam closed the door behind them.

* * *

As much as Sam loved the care and attention that Tom gave her, sometimes he was a little to protective and so she had decided that whilst he was gone, she was going to go swimming to relieve some of the pressure on her back. And so she was stood by the swimming pool in a bandeau black bikini that she wore before she was pregnant. But she had had to extend the ties on her waist quite a bit and the top was very tight. Thankfully, despite it being a Saturday afternoon, the swimming pool was almost empty so she got in, swam for an hour and then got out - she didn't count lengths because she didn't want to know how little she could do compared to before she was pregnant so she just timed it. And then she got her toiletry bag and towel from her locker and she jumped in a shower which wasn't hard because they were all empty.

"You're already swimming in there, aren't you?" Sam said softly and it wasn't until a few moments later that she realised that she was talking to her bump. She felt slightly stupid, but at the same time it felt so natural as long as no one else was listening. She let the water from the shower fall down onto her bump as she smoothed her hands over her skin whilst she could feel her child within her womb, moving about - not kicking, but he was certainly squirming about. At 32 weeks, he probably didn't have a lot of room left to twist and turn but he certainly didn't rest for very long when he did stop moving, which always reassured Sam that everything was okay.

* * *

"I've really gotta stop driving soon." Sam sighed as she was driving herself home from the leisure centre when she had an idea. "Seeing as daddy's not here, how about we have Thai food? Because we both know that he hates it but you like it, don't you?" Sam smiled as she stopped at the traffic lights and she placed her hands on her bump through her hoodie. "Now, we can either drive to the takeaway, or we can be lazy, go straight home, and then order it by phone." Sam concluded as she began driving once more. "Oh what a shame, I've missed the turning. Now we're gonna have to go home and order it." Sam smiled to herself. She safely made her way home, let Shadow out for a quick wee in the garden and then sat down to order her takeaway food. "Right, now it's free delivery on orders over £15 so unfortunately, you're gonna have to give my stomach a little bit more room tonight because I'm going to have to order three dishes to get free delivery." Sam stated as she picked up her phone and the menu. She smiled as she felt her child shuffling about inside of her. Almost as though he was listening to his mother and he was moving out of the way of her stomach. She rung up the restaurant and the ordered the food, before she decided to check the football score as the match would've finished by then. She scrolled through on her phone until she read that Manchester United had won 3-1; Tom would be ecstatic.

* * *

**9:15pm**

Tom opened the front door quietly to find Shadow standing guard and as soon as she recognised one of her owners, she backed down and padded back into the living room. Tom wasn't sure if Sam would be asleep or not, so he was silent as he entered the living room where he found Sam fast asleep in the armchair with her head hanging in front of her at an awkward angle. He also saw the three empty takeaway boxes on the side and the bag from the Thai shop and he couldn't help but smile.

"Sam... Hey come on sleepy head. Come and get into bed, you'll get a bad neck sleeping like that." Tom said softly as Sam slowly opened her eyes and then she put her hand to the back of her neck and grimaced as she lifted it. "I told you." He smirked.

"What time is it?" Sam croaked.

"Just gone past nine." Tom replied. "Have a nice dinner did we?" He smiled as he pulled her to her feet and let her stretch her back out.

"Mm, I was gonna clear away but I must've fallen asleep." Sam moaned before she went to pick the containers up.

"Ah ah, I'll clear up in a minute, let's get you to bed."

"Tom it's your birthday." Sam stated.

"Yeah and you're pregnant and tired." Tom stated bluntly as he put his hands on her hips, turned her around and guided her to their bedroom. "It'll only take a few minutes to clear up, just get ready for bed." He smiled before he left the room.

Sam slowly got changed into a pair of shorts and her black sports bra before she brushed her teeth, washed her face and laid down on the bed.

"Where's Shadow?" Sam asked as Tom entered the room alone, minutes after she had gotten comfortable.

"Er she was curled up in her bed just now." Tom stated before he striped down to his boxers and he carefully got onto the mattress without moving Sam too much.

"Happy birthday you old git." Sam smiled as she snuggled her face into his bare chest.

"Thanks. Hang on, your hair smells like chlorine." Tom stated and Sam frowned.

"Still?" She moaned.

"Did you go swimming?" He asked curiously.

"Yep." Sam replied before she got comfortable again, and the two laid in a silence as they relaxed for the evening. "I started talking to him today." Sam admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah and I kinda like it." Sam shrugged.

"You hear that mate? It only took you 31 weeks to make her go soft." Tom chuckled as he put on of his hands on the bottom of her bump.

"Be careful, my breasts are hurting again." Sam warned, and so Tom released his grip on her slightly as they laid facing each other. "I'm gonna go to sleep now alright?" Sam yawned.

"Yep. Night night." Tom whispered as he kissed Sam on the lips, and then because she was in a sports bra, he kissed her bump too. Sam couldn't help but smile, before she closed her eyes and soon drifted off into a snooze.

* * *

**Sunday 26th July 2015**

Sam and Tom were sitting in the waiting room at their local vets, awaiting the results of Shadow's blood test for a pregnancy. Sam was sitting at 34 weeks pregnant with Shadow obediently sitting on her feet as per usual.

"If she is pregnant, I know you're gonna want to keep her puppies but realistically we need to talk about this. Because I've looked it up and border collies can have litters of 4-8 puppies and there are some dogs that have had litters of 14 puppies." Tom explained quietly.

"Why can't we have 14 puppies?" Sam moaned jokily.

"Because we live in a one bedroom apartment, we've got a baby on the way and one hyper active border collie is enough." Tom laughed.

"Well we've already agreed that we're moving a few months after the baby is born." Sam said innocently.

"Yes but dog pregnancies last 9 weeks, if Shadow is pregnant, she's only got 6 weeks left until she gives birth and you've still got six weeks until you give birth too."

"Well if you had to set a limit, how many puppies would you allow Shadow to keep?" Sam asked curiously.

"It depends because if I say one number and Shadow has one more than that number then I might change my mind." Tom replied as the door next to them opened.

"Shadow?" Sarah, the vet, announced.

"Yep." Tom nodded as he got up and he helped Sam to stand before they dragged Shadow into the consult room - the poor dog hated the vet's room because the only time she had been in there was when she had had injections as a puppy, or when she had a blood sample taken just twenty minutes ago.

"Ok, if you just want to lift her up onto the table please." Sarah requested and Sam was obviously incapable of doing so so Tom bent down and carefully lifted Shadow onto the black examination table. "Okay, Shadow's blood shows that she does have relaxin in her blood which means that she is in fact pregnant." She stated and Sam's face lit up.

"How many?" Sam demanded.

"Unfortunately, you won't know exactly how many until she's around 45-50 days pregnant where we will give her an X-ray and we can determine how many puppies she is carrying. However at the moment, if you've got the dates right and she is around 23 days pregnant then she's already a third of the way there." Sarah explained. "Now I've got you this, it's just a folder giving you information about how to help Shadow through her pregnancy, and how to whelp her when she gives birth. And if you intend to sell the puppies, there's some information about being a responsible seller in there too." Sarah explained as she handed Tom a folder filled with leaflets. "Now dogs can vary when they're pregnant they can go from really clingy to their owners one minute to very isolated the next and they'll just want to be by themselves so you need to make sure that you respect her choice as to whether she wants interaction or not. But I am a little concerned that Shadow is only eleven months old and having puppies this young could result in her rejecting the puppies because she might be too young to become a mother."

"She's not." Sam interrupted quickly. "I mean, she's not gonna be a bad mum, she's already protective of my baby so surely she'd be even more protective over her own puppies." Sam argued as she put her hands over her bump and Shadow didn't like being on the table so she went over and began licking Sam's bump through her tshirt, proving Sam's point clearly.

"Well that's something you don't see everyday." Sarah smiled. "And I'm not saying Shadow is a bad mum, I'm just saying maybe she's a little young. But why don't I give her an ultrasound and we can get a rough estimate of how many puppies she's going to have? And I must warn you that ultrasounds on dogs aren't very accurate because it's like multiples in humans, they can be hiding behind their siblings." She explained as she wheeled over the machine.

"Sshh, it's alright." Sam whispered softly as Shadow began whining.

"Come on girl, lie down." Tom ordered quietly and with Sam and Tom's coaxing, they managed to get a Shadow to lie down and then roll onto her side.

"Okay, just hold her still for me please." Sarah requested before she placed the lubricated probe onto Shadow's lower belly whilst Sam and Tom kept the dog calm. "Right, it doesn't look like a very big litter." Sarah announced. "There looks to be around... Remember I said that this is rough, but I'd say there's around three or maybe four puppies in there. There's definitely three but I think there may be one or even two hiding behind the front three." Sarah explained and Sam glanced at Tom as she wondered if five was within his number to keep the puppies rather than sell them. But he just rolled his eyes at her before Sarah put the machine away whilst Sam wiped Shadow's belly with a paper towel.

* * *

Sam was laid out across the three seater sofa with Shadow clumsily curled up on her chest and shoulders, whilst Tom sat on the carpet in front of them with his hand resting on Sam's bump.

"Right. I've decided that there is no way that we are keeping more than five puppies. I will have a think about five, but six or more is a definite no no." Tom stated.

"I've been thinking, and... Well why don't we give a puppy to Fletch?" Sam suggested.

"What?"

"Well he said it himself when we got Shadow that he's always wanted to get the kids a puppy but they're like £500 plus for a cheap one. And you know that they've had money troubles in the past few months. If we gave them a puppy, all they'd need to pay for would be the food because we don't bother with pet insurance. And we could give them a starter pack with a few bowls and a lead etc. Don't you think that would cheer Natalie and the kids up? I mean, I definitely don't want to sell the puppies but I'd be okay with giving one to Fletch because we'd be able to see the puppy and we'd know that he or she would be going to a good home."

"Well we'll have to ask Fletch about it, but I don't see why not." Tom nodded. "It a good idea."

"I can't believe that she's pregnant." Sam admitted as she stroked Shadow.

"I can; it explains why she's been snappy just like you were in the first couple of months." Tom retorted.

"One: she's not snappy. And two: I wasn't snappy I was all over the place." Sam corrected.

"She is snappy, she's only _just_ beginning to let me touch your bump!" Tom protested.

"Yeah and that's because she's trusting you, but she still wouldn't let Fletch anywhere near me this morning." Sam stated. "Anyway, we're going to bed, c'mon you big lump." Sam said as she encouraged shadow to get up and she slowly padded into the bedroom.

"Was you talking to me or the dog?" Tom joked as he held his hands out and helped Sam to her feet.

"Both." Sam groaned as she stretched her back out, before she waddled into the bedroom.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom find out a more definite number of how many puppies Shadow is having. And Sam has a big change of heart on where she warns to give birth and who with.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**

**A/N Also, I know that the football season doesn't start until mid-August and this is set in July but I needed the dates to work out later.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Friday 14th August 2015**

Sam and Tom were sat in the waiting room at the vets once more, with Shadow lying down underneath their seats to keep away from the strangers in the room. Sam was 37 weeks pregnant, and Shadow was 42 days pregnant - she was starting to show - as they were waiting for the results of Shadow's X-ray to determine how many puppies she was carrying.

"So are we agreed that if she is carrying five, then we can keep four and give Fletch one?" Sam queried as she traced her fingers in a swirling pattern over her large bump. She was three weeks away from her due date, but her baby was yet to drop so she was still experiencing breathlessness, though she didn't yet have too much pressure on her bladder, she was just waiting for that to come when her son dropped into the birth canal.

"Yes, but only _if_, Fletch does agree to take on a puppy because he haven't actually asked him yet." Tom stated.

"Shadow?" Sarah announced. And so both adults got up, but Shadow was still cowering under the chairs.

"C'mon. You've gotta come out sometime." Sam stated bluntly as she tugged on the lead gently but Shadow had slammed the breaks on and she wasn't coming out. She just pulled backwards towards the door that she knew was where she could exit the terrifying place.

"Well I can tell you here if you want, I've only got to tell you a number and then you can go." Sarah offered.

"Yeah that's fine." Tom nodded as Sam continued to try and coax Shadow out.

"Now as I told you before, it's not definitely right but it looks to me as if she's carrying four puppies with four separate placentas." She stated.

"Woah!" Sam exclaimed as Shadow suddenly made a dart for the door but Tom grabbed the dog's lead before Sam's arm was pulled off and he held the leash tightly.

"So this is probably the last time that we see her before she gives birth unless there's any problems." Sarah stated.

"Okay, thank you bye." Sam said quickly before she opened the door and exited with Shadow.

"Thank you." Tom chuckled before he followed his wife out there and they began the short walk home as Sam had insisted that she wanted to go for a walk, rather than drive there.

* * *

"_Hello_?"

"Hi Fletch." Sam said cheerily down the phone.

"_Hiya, any sign of Baby Kent yet_?" He asked excitedly.

"Nope. But we have got a proposal for you."

"_Right_." Fletch replied hesitantly.

"You know that Shadow is pregnant?"

"_Yeah_."

"How would you like to have one of the puppies for free?" Sam asked.

"_What? No, I can't accept a puppy, you could get £700 or £800 for one of those at least_." Fletch stated.

"Yeah, but it would mean more to us, if we knew that Shadow's extra pup would go to a good home. And I would only have that guarantee if you had her. Honestly fletch, if you want one, you can have one and besides we're on a doctors salary, the money isn't a problem." Sam replied.

"_Will have to have a chat with Nat first_." Fletch stated.

"_Chat to me about what_?" Sam heard down the phone.

"Fletch we can talk later, just let me know when you decided yeah?" Sam said.

"_Yeah sure, bye_."

* * *

"I think my stomach is the size of a pingpong ball at the moment." Sam grumbled as she placed the plate of food that had barely been touched on the table in front of her and then she leant back on the sofa again - she preferred curling up in the arm chair but it was sometimes a tight squeeze with Sam, her bump and Shadow who was a little bigger than usual in a one seater armchair. With the baby squashing her internal organs, she could only just manage to eat a few mouthfuls before she felt full. But she would usually be hungry again within an hour or two. "Sorry, I can't eat any more." Sam apologised as she felt bad that Tom had spent time cooking and she had eaten so little of it.

"It's alright, more for me." Tom quipped. "Shall we do perineal massage again tonight?" Tom suggested. Several weeks ago, Sam had shared her fear with Tom that she was scared of ripping during the upcoming birth because she was a short, usually thin woman and she certainly didn't want an episiotomy.

"Yeah but let my dinner get down first." Sam stated as she too deep breaths to combat the full, stuffed feeling in her stomach because she had eaten as much as she could so she didn't hurt Tom's feelings but she had ignored her own body telling her to stop eating. "I'll get it; it's probably Fletch." Sam stated as the phone had begun ringing so she heaved herself up and went into the kitchen to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Any sign of baby Kent yet_?" Fletch asked cheekily because he knew it annoyed Sam every time someone at work (I.e. Robyn) asked her if she had had any signs of labour.

"Fletch." Sam growled.

"_Okay, I was just kidding. Is the puppy offer still available_?"

"Of course it is."

_"Well then we'd love to have one of them. I spoke with Nat and we thought that we could give it to the kids as an early christmas present because we assumed that the puppy wouldn't be able to leave Shadow for a few weeks will she_?"

"Yeah Shadow is due to give birth in the same week as me, and then we won't let you take your one probably around eight to ten weeks after the birth because we'll need to wean them off breastfeeding and get them all of their shots etc." Sam explained.

_"Okay. Well thank you very much for this, the kids are gonna love having a pet. They've always wanted one_."

"Sam, are you ready for your perineal massage?" Tom shouted purposely and as he had intended, Fletch heard. Sam glared at Tom as he walked into the kitchen but he just playfully slapped her on the bum.

"_That was not something that I wanted to hear_." Fletch grimaced.

"Well as you've gathered, I've got somewhere to be so I'll see you at work on Monday." Sam smiled.

"_Bye_." Fletch chuckled and Sam put the phone back in it's holder whilst Tom put his plate in the dishwasher.

"Thank you for announcing that down the phone." Sam sighed sarcastically.

"Well in my defence, it was your idea for me to give you perineal massage in the first place about 3 weeks ago." Tom retorted.

"No, I said I was considering it because I was scared of tearing and you offered to do it for me." Sam argued.

"Well you didn't object to the offer." Tom smirked as he snaked his in arms around Sam's bump. "And I can't even reach my arms around you and touch my fingers the other side anymore; you're that big." Tom chuckled. "Go on, you jump on the bed and get your legs akimbo and I'll be in in a minute." Tom ordered as he playfully slapped Sam on the bum and then Sam waddled into their bedroom. Tom was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when Shadow came into the kitchen whining. "What's the matter with you you stupid mutt?" Tom huffed as he never usually went soft on Shadow, but he frowned as he realised she was acting a little odd. He then watched her nose and scratch at the back door which Tom opened only to watch Shadow quickly ran out only a few metres onto the grass before she squatted and emptied her bladder. "Wonderful, you're peeing as much as your favourite owner." Tom joked as Shadow ran back in and then she curled up in her bed again.

"Tom." Sam moaned from the bedroom.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He laughed.

* * *

Later on in the evening, Sam, Tom and Shadow were sitting on the sofa watching TV whilst Sam was nibbling away at an apple as she had gotten hungry after her small dinner.

"Tom... I've been thinking. And..."

"How many times have I warned you about doing that?" Tom joked and a silence fell upon them for a few moments before Sam spoke up.

"I've changed my mind about what I said on my birth plan." Sam admitted.

"Right." Tom said slowly as he muted the TV so that they could talk properly as he prompted for her to continue.

"I want a home birth." Sam stated eventually.

"What's made you change your mind now?" Tom asked curiously because she had been fine with the idea of a hospital birth for months.

"I don't know I just... I was reading about on the internet about stories of women's births. And for me, there're five main things that I want the environment to be when I give birth: I want somewhere private, dark, warm, safe and quiet." Sam explained. "And where better than in our own home? For all we know, I could end up giving birth on a ward rather than in a room by myself; you know what the NHS are like and I'd hate to be on a ward. I want to wear whatever I want without worrying about what other people think and more importantly, I really don't want people shoving their hands where the sun don't shine." Sam retorted and Tom chuckled before he began to things through.

"Well we'll have to get in contact with a midwife and-"

"No. No midwife." Sam interrupted quietly but sternly. "Just me, you and our baby." Sam said softly.

"And you've thought about this?" Tom queried.

"Tom I promise you this is not one of those things where I want one thing one minute and another the next; this is what I really want." Sam stated clearly. "And I just want you to support my decision." She added hopefully.

"If it's what you want then I'm supporting you 100%." Tom nodded. "But I do still get to physically deliver our son and cut the cord right?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure you don't want a midwife? We could ask Tess." Tom suggested.

"Tom I'm sure in your million years of medicine that you have delivered more than one baby and trust me I have too, so two doctors are perfectly capable of delivering a baby. If there are complications then I will of course, let you take me to a hospital. But at the moment, I've had a very health to pregnancy with no complications whatsoever and a home birth will be safe."

"My 'million years of medicine'?" Tom laughed. "I'm only two years older than you." He added.

"Yeah you're practically prehistoric." Sam joked. But would Sam get her ideal birth? Or would there be complications?

* * *

**Coming up: Tom is asked to do overtime and Sam wakes up at 2am with a craving for fruit.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**I know Connie is now Clinical lead however for my story, Zoe will still be clinical lead :)**

* * *

**Thursday 20th August 2015**

"Tom, can I have a word in my office?" Zoe requested as she caught the doctor walking past.

"Yeah sure." He nodded as he gave one last glance at his 38 week pregnant wife who was unfortunately dealing with a rather uncooperative patient - but Fletch was there, keeping things under control so Tom entered the office and he felt awkward as he stood in front of Zoe's desk whilst Connie sat working away at her computer.

"Right um, this is a bit touchy." Zoe began. "I know that Sam wants to work to her due date and I respect that, and I know she's been working really hard, but compared to her previous numbers, she is falling behind a bit and we have a backlog going into the night as it is without Sam's numbers dropping. And I've been doing over time, Ash has done overtime now I'm afraid I need you to do some overtime to pick up Sam's work load." Zoe explained slowly. "Maybe two days a week you could stay behind for a couple of hours and catch up. It would only be for the next two weeks until Sam goes on maternity leave, unless of course she goes into labour sooner. Because when Sam goes we've got a locum ready to be here within twenty minutes of us giving him notice."

"Zoe I'm sorry but... My baby could come any minute now, I have a heavily pregnant dog at home and Sam is exhausted when we get home from work - if I didn't cook her dinner she wouldn't eat becuase she'd just fall asleep and not wake up until she needed the toilet or until the next morning. I'm sorry but I can't work more hours, I mean if I was in different circumstances I would but, this is my first child and I am not gonna let my wife down when she needs me the most. I can't do overtime." Tom explained.

"Did you just say you have a heavily pregnant dog at home?" Connie asked curiously without even taking her eyes off of the computer screen.

"Yes, why?" Tom demanded as he had to bit his tongue from snapping at the nosy consultant when it was none of her business.

"Don't you think there are enough rescue mongrels and mutts out there looking for new homes without you bringing more into the world?" She queried. "Let alone the number that are put down every day."

"Don't you think that this is a private conversation that has nothing to do with you? I don't remember Zoe saying that you had done any overtime. I'm presuming that you just think that you're better than everyone else so you wouldn't dare to appear to actually help your colleagues." Tom snapped.

"That's because I shouldn't have to do overtime to catch up with your wife's backlog - she's heavily pregnant; and if she can't keep up with the demand she should be on maternity leave." Connie replied simply.

"Can I get on with my work before I do or say something that I regret please?" Tom asked his boss as he tried to reel in his anger. Zoe gave a small nod and so Tom stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Sam was lying in bed in their dark bedroom with the curtains closed whilst Tom performed the perineal massage for her. He was kneeling between her legs as they kept the room quiet and calm so that Sam was relaxed and Shadow was curled up on the bed next to them.

"Why did you have to talk to Zoe earlier?" Sam asked quietly as she broke the silence to lessen the awkward atmosphere.

"It was nothing." Tom replied but Sam opened her eyes, lifted her head off of her pillow and raised an eyebrow at him, though she could barely see him over the top of her bump. "Zoe was asking me to do overtime but I said no." Tom stated.

"I'm surprised she didn't ask _me_ to do overtime; my patient numbers haven't been the best lately. It takes ten minutes for me to waddle from cubicles to reception." Sam admitted before she noticed the look on Tom's face. "She was asking you to do overtime because of me wasn't she?"

"Maybe." Tom replied softly. "Right, you're all done." He announced as he slid off of the bed and then went into the bathroom to wash his hands.

"Thank you." Sam called as she pulled her underwear and pyjama shorts up.

"You're welcome. Do you want to see why I've been spending so much time in there garage lately?"

"Why?" Sam queried concernedly.

"Just stay in here while I bring something in. And no peaking." Tom ordered as he closed the bedroom door. Sam impatiently huffed as she slowly paced around the room with her hands on her 38 week bump. She was waiting for several minutes when finally, Tom opened the door. "Right Shadow, come on. I've got a surprise for you." Tom smiled but the dog merely raised her head slightly, and then rested her chin back on the bed again. "Don't sound too excited will you?" Tom remarked. "Come on, I've got somewhere else that I think you might like to sleep." He said as he gently helped the dog to stand and then he encouraged her to leave the bedroom and go into the living room. "Tadaa!" Tom announced as Sam went in too and found the wooden box in the corner that was layered inside with many blankets. It was in the corner of the living room and there was an area of newspaper besides it.

"You made her a whelping box." Sam smiled.

"Yeah. I was reading up on it, and dogs need one to give birth in. And if they don't get given somewhere cosy, it's likely that they'll make one somewhere under our bed or somewhere silly like that so I though the best thing to do would be to keep her in sight." Tom explained and then they watched as Shadow sniffled near the box. Slowly, she stepped through the little rectangular notch that Tom had made as an open door for her so that even her bigger belly could fit through, but the puppies wouldn't be able to climb out. She sniffed around a little more and then she curled up amongst the blankets. "And now hopefully, she won't be sleeping on our bed at night." Tom concluded.

"See, you always pretend that you don't like Shadow but you must love her if you've done this for her." Sam commented.

"I don't love her, I just wanted to give her somewhere that she feels safe - you want to give birth somewhere warm and comfortable so presumably she would too." Tom replied.

"Oh so now you're comparing me to a dog?" Sam remarked as she put her hands on her hips that had long disappeared from her figure.

"That came out wrong." Tom protested quickly as he knew only too well that although Sam often said she wouldn't cry just becuase someone said something inappropriate, she did occasionally take things to heart and would be upset about it for a while until she calmed down.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean." Sam stated and Tom let out a small sigh of relief.

* * *

**2am**

Tom woke to movement and suddenly Sam flicked the beside lamp on before she began sitting up on the edge of the bed and she pulled her hoodie on over the top of her sports bra.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked and Sam jumped as she realised that he was awake.

"Going to tescos." Sam replied simply.

"Why?" Tom laughed.

"Because I want something."

"Get back into bed you silly cow, I'll get whatever you want." Tom laughed as he got out of bed, went around her side and took her hoodie off of her. "What do you want?' He asked curiously.

"Strawberries, bananas and some apple juice. Honestly Tom I don't mind going." Sam protested.

"No, I'll go. You should've just woken me anyway." Tom stated as he laid her down on her side and he pulled the duvet over her bump and up to her chin.

"Well I didn't think it would be fair to wake you and demand that you go to tescos in the middle of the night for me." Sam admitted.

"If only every other pregnant woman in the world was like that." Tom smiled. "But really, I don't mind going. Are you sure that's all you want? Do you want anything for breakfast in the morning?"

"I wouldn't mind some grapefruit. And... Some of them dried banana chip things." Sam replied.

"Wow, healthy." Tom quipped. "I'll probably be about 15-20 mins, if you're asleep when I get back, do you want me to wake you up or leave you?" He asked as he pulled on a pair of jeans and a jumper.

"Wake me with food, that's always the best way to wake me." Sam smiled.

'Well it is when you're pregnant.' Tom remarked. "Right, I'll see you soon." Tom said softly as he pecked Sam on the forehead.

* * *

**2:30am**

Tom locked the front door behind him and as he carried the shopping bag through the living room, he could see through the darkness that Shadow was curled up in her whelping box where she had clearly rearranged the blankets that Tom had laid out straight because they were all over the place. He noticed that the bedroom light was on and as he poked his head in the room, he saw Sam sitting up in bed reading her kindle.

"I'll just cut you some fruit up yeah?"

"Mm, thank you." Sam smiled as Tom left the room and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Tom returned with a bowl of strawberries and sliced banana along with a glass of apple juice as requested.

"Shadow definitely likes her box." Tom commented though he frowned as Sam took the bowl and the glass and she poured the apple juice into the bowl of fruit. "What on earth?" He laughed.

"What? It's a fruit salad." Sam protested as she rested the bowl on her bump and began eating.

"You do realise that it's half two in the morning and you're sitting there eating a 'fruit salad' right?" Tom smirked as he took off his jeans and jumper and got into bed in his boxers.

"You do realise that I don't care. _Right_?" Sam asked mockingly.

"Are you sure about wanting an unassisted home birth?" Tom asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to deliver our baby without the midwives annoying me and getting in the way but I just don't want you to panic because it's your first birth and you might be a bit apprehensive." Tom explained delicately.

"Tom I've watched live births, I've delivered babies, I've read up as much as I possibly can about births and I know more than the average new mother so trust me, I'm not as nervous as you think." Sam replied. "In fact I'm not nervous at all now, I just want this big lump out of me." Sam huffed.

"I'm sure you'll wish he was back inside of you after the first couple of days when you can't get him to sleep or he won't stop crying." Tom said softly as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"When I do go into labour, you're not going to panic, are you?"

"No but I might be a little bit excited." Tom admitted happily. "Who do you think is gonna come first? Our baby or Shadow's puppies?" Tom asked curiously as they both had very similar due dates but Shadow's was a rougher estimate because she could give birth between 58-65 days.

"I'd rather it if our baby came first because then we can hopefully get him off to sleep while we help Shadow, plus I'd rather not be leaning over Shadow's whelping box whilst my back is killing me because of your son's skull digging into my spine." Sam complained.

"Could you imagine if you and Shadow were in labour at the same time?" Tom joked.

"That kind of stuff only happens on TV." Sam muttered.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam turns 30 whilst she gets more and more impatient with her son's delayed arrival. Desperate times call for desperate measures! **

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Just want to say a massive thank you for all the reviews that I'm getting :) I really appreciate them :)**

* * *

**Saturday 29th August 2015**

Robyn watched as Sam walked out of the staff room ready to begin the day of work before she ensured that the door was closed and she went to speak to Tom.

"So what are we doing for Sam's 30th birthday?" Robyn asked excitedly. "Do you want me to organise everyone in the pub and give her a surprise party? Or we could all go bowling." Robyn suggested.

"Robyn, Sam's 39 weeks pregnant." Tom sighed.

"So? She doesn't have to drink and she could sit down most of the night."

"Look Robyn I know you mean well, but I've spoken to Sam and she just wants a nice quiet night in on the sofa with me, a good movie and a few snacks." Tom stated.

"Oh... Well I've still got her cake and card for everyone's lunch break, should I get rid of those?" Robyn asked innocently.

"No no, that's a really nice idea, I'm sure she'll love it. Actually, it depends what type of cake you got because Sam-"

"Hates fondant icing, I know." Robyn interrupted. "I asked Fletch for advice and he says that Sam likes buttercream icing more than she does the actual cake so I made a chocolate cake that looks like a giant Oreo, but it's a double stuffed Oreo so there's plenty of cream filling and I really hope she likes it." Robyn explained.

"I'm sure she will - she goes through Oreos like there's no tomorrow when she fancies them." Tom smirked. "Right, I'd better get on but I'll see you later."

* * *

"I swear if you're gonna chuck water over me or pull a prank or walk me into a wall or whatever, I will castrate you." Sam threatened as Tom was covering her eyes with his hands as he walked her into the staff room where everyone was gathered and remaining silent.

"Why would I walk you into a wall? That could hurt my son." Tom joked before he took his hands off of Sam's face and she opened her eyes.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone shouted and Sam looked to see the room filled with her colleagues and decorated with banners and balloons reading '**Happy 30th Birthday**!'.

"Did you really have to get my age on the balloons?" Sam moaned.

"Oi, Fletch was gonna get you the Happy 40th balloons." Robyn laughed and so Sam squinted her eyes at him. "Tadaa!" She smiled as she stepped out of the way to reveal the giant Oreo cookie cake that was 12 inches in diameter. "And we know that you like buttercream icing so it's a double stuffed Oreo cake." Robyn added.

"Thank you." Sam smiled.

"Right, you sit down and I'll bring you a slice." Tom ordered and Sam showed no reluctance as she walked over to one of the sofas and sat down.

"And here's your card." Robyn added as she handed the card to Sam whilst Tom began to cut the cake up for everyone.

"Thanks." Sam replied as she opened the A3 envelope with a bright blue card with a cartoon baby on it. And a large caption saying '**I DO NOT waddle... It's called pregnancy swag**.' Sam smiled before she opened the card to reveal a couple of dozen signatures from her colleagues.

"And birthday girl gets the first slice." Tom announced as he handed Sam a plate with a small slice of cake on it.

"Oh come on Tom, it's her birthday; she can have more than that!" Robyn protested.

"She can't because it won't fit in her stomach." Tom stated bluntly. "She can only eat small amounts at a time." He added.

* * *

Sam was cuddled up to Tom on the sofa whilst they watched a movie for her birthday. She was almost full term and she really just wanted her baby to come sooner rather than later because she was 39 weeks and she was exhausted after carrying her son around all day.

"What's Shadow doing?" Tom questioned as he could hear a noise coming from the kitchen, when suddenly, the dog with an enlarged belly entered the living room and she was dragging her blanket from her bed in the kitchen, into her whelping box.

"Aw, bless her." Sam smiled as the dog began rearranging her bed and laying the blanket out before she slowly disappeared again, presumably to go and collect more materials for her box.

"Have you had a nesting instinct at all yet?" Tom asked curiously.

"No because it doesn't exist." Sam stated bluntly.

"Have you had your show?"

"Nope. And he hasn't dropped." Sam grumbled as she smoothed her hands over her bump through her jersey shirt.

"He will do when the time is right." Tom said reassuringly. "What have you got this time you soppy dog?" Tom asked as Shadow came in backwards dragging a dark blue thick hoodie behind her.

"Oi, that's my jumper!" Sam protested as Shadow arranged it how she wanted it in her box before she curled up after exerting herself by going for a short walk.

"It doesn't even fit you anymore and I doubt that your going to be 6 months pregnant again any time soon so you might as well let her have it." Tom stated as it was one of her maternity jumpers. "Besides, maybe she just wants it because it smells of you and it makes her feel safe." Tom suggested.

"Whatever." Sam shrugged.

"Could you imagine if you and our son both had the same birthday?"

"Mm, jelly and ice cream all around." Sam joked halfheartedly. "Hey my ankles are non-existent because they're so swollen at the moment so could you-"

"Give you a foot massage? Of course I can birthday girl." Tom interrupted as he moved himself until he was sitting at the edge of the sofa before he let Sam put his feet on his lap. And she was right, her feet, ankles and lower legs were all the same width; that's how swollen they were. However he knew that she was safe from preeclampsia because she didn't have any of the other symptoms; she had had a routine prenatal appointment the day before including a urine check for protein and a blood pressure check. Tom slowly massaged from her feet to half way up to her knees and he was doing so for a good ten minutes until he noticed that Sam's eyelids were getting heavy. "Come on, don't fall asleep here because I haven't got a hope in hell of lifting you up anymore." Tom stated bluntly as he stood up and help his hands out to help her up but she refused the offer and continued laying down.

"Can't I just sleep on the sofa?" Sam moaned. "Then you'll have more room in bed." She added eagerly.

"I don't want more room in bed, I want my wife safely tucked up in bed." Tom remarked as he took her hands in his and reluctantly, she sat up and then got to her feet. "Do you want me to brush your teeth for you?" He joked as she waddled into the bathroom.

"No but can you pull my shorts down so I can go to the toilet? I can't reach below my bump anymore." Sam asked sarcastically before she closed the door behind her to give herself some privacy. Soon she came out and got into bed whilst Tom brushed his teeth, before he joined her in the double bed under the thin duvet that they used when it was not cold but not too hot either. "You know, I've heard that having sex can stimulate labour." Sam admitted as she put her hands over his on her bump.

"Mm? And is that what you want us to do?" Tom asked.

"It's a nice thought I suppose." Sam admitted sheepishly and Tom slid his hands lower until they were inside of her shorts. Whenever they had made love in the third trimester, they had only done so in one position - both laying on their side with Tom entering from behind and with no strong movements, only gentle, shallow ones to keep her and the baby safe and pain free.

"Happy birthday to you." He sang in a whisper as he slid his own shorts down. "Happy birthday to you," he carried on as he slid her shorts and underwear down to her knees. "Happy birthday dear Sam, happy birthday to you." He whispered before he entered her and they made love passionately.

* * *

**Sunday 30th August 2015, 8:30pm**

"C'mon you little monkey, I'm on time or early for everything. Mind you, I suppose if you're late, you'll have gotten your time keeping skills from your dad." Sam said softly as she caressed her bump whilst she looked in the mirror in the warmly lit bedroom. She hadn't noticed that Tom was leaning in the doorway, smiling at her softer side, because she had thought that he had gone for a shower. "You're due in seven days but you're allowed to come out early if you want because mummy and daddy want to meet you sooner rather than later." She whispered and she smiled until she froze as she saw Tom in the corner of the mirror.

"Sorry, I um.. Forgot my towel." He admitted as he grabbed it from the radiator. "Carry on, I'm sure he's comforted whenever he hears your voice." Tom said reassuringly before he left and went to the bathroom because Sam was clearly embarrassed. She felt her cheeks flush red so she just got changed into her pyjamas and got into bed so that she would appear to be asleep by the time that Tom got out of the shower.

* * *

**Coming up: One of the females in Tom's life goes into labour. But is it Shadow or Sam?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Friday 4th September 2015, 6pm**

"Are you happy now?" Sam moaned as she and Tom had just put a waterproof sheet over their mattress under the bed sheet and duvet to protect it in case Sam's waters broke in the night.

"Yes because now our mattress is protected from any potential leakage from you." Tom quipped.

"I can't tell if you're referring to my bladder or when I go into labour." Sam joked halfheartedly before she walked through to the living room. They knew Shadow was entering labour because they had been taking her temperature for weeks and they had been told by the vet that her temperature would drop before she went into labour and it had done so. And her nipples had enlarged so she was ready to feed her puppies. "Shadow, you wanna go out for a wee wee?" Sam asked and slowly the dog stood up and headed towards the back door.

"Wow, she's got the same average speed of a snail just like you." Tom joked as he opened the back door and Shadow stayed close to the door but she laid down on the grass presumably to cool herself down. "This could be like a practice run of your birth." He suggested.

"Yeah except it's a dog giving birth, I'm not carrying quadruplets, Shadow can't have gas and air and she can't crush your hand with her paws." Sam remarked as she leant in the doorway.

"Fair enough. But there's only two days to go." Tom smiled as he put his hand on Sam's 39 week bump. "Ugh, she's disgusting." Tom grimaced as Shadow began licking between her hind legs.

"No she's not; I think she's had her show. It says on the internet dogs normally lick it away and plus you can see it on her white fur." Sam stated as she nodded to the pinkish stain that the dog was licking away.

"So will you be licking your show away?" Tom joked.

"Please, I couldn't reach it if I tried." Sam smirked. "But you wait until later, if everything goes to plan, she should actually eat the amniotic sac and the placenta for each puppy to keep her nutrients up after giving birth." Sam stated.

"Lovely." Tom said sarcastically. They then watched Shadow get up off of the grass and she began to make her way indoors, but as she made her way back to her whelping box, she began nudging Sam's ankle with her nose. "Don't do that, that's naughty." Tom said protectively as he moved Shadow's head away from Sam, but she returned and began nosing Sam's ankle again.

"Its alright, I think she just wants me to come with her." Sam concluded as she walked towards the living room and Shadow followed. Sam knelt down in front of the box and so Shadow got in and curled up on the blankets. "Do you want to get the sleeping bags and pillows from our room so that we can sleep here tonight?" Sam suggested as she opened the small cupboard near Shadow's box where they had sterile equipment, blankets and towels for whelping.

"Is your back gonna be alright?" Tom asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'll sleep on the sofa if it gets bad." Sam nodded so Tom disappeared whilst Sam watched her dog. Soon, Tom returned with the duvet, four pillows and two sleeping bags. He left a metre gap for Shadow to get out of her box before he laid the duvet on the floor for a little bit of extra comfort, and arranged the pillows and sleeping bags on top of it. "At least now I've got time off I can stay with them rather than leaving then at home alone all day." Sam stated.

"See, maternity leave isn't that bad."

"It is when you're forced to go on it." Sam grumbled. She ahead to go on maternity leave on the Sunday of the week that she was due and because she was due on a sunday and she only worked weekdays, she was now officially on maternity leave.

"Sam your due date is in two days!" Tom laughed as he knelt down besides Sam where Shadow was staring at her own belly. She then sat up in her box, leant forward and began licking Sam's bump through her shirt. "So she's just been licking her private parts, and now she's allowed to lick our baby?" Tom protested.

"If you think that my skin is your baby that you're sorely mistaken." Sam retorted. "She's not actually licking our baby she's just... I don't know, being maternal?" Sam shrugged. "Because, as I rightly pointed out, she knows that I'm pregnant." Sam said smugly.

"Well she has just made your shirt wet with her saliva." Tom smirked and Sam looked down on her bright blue tank top where there was a damp patch by her belly button.

"That just means that you're on guard duty while I go and change my shirt." Sam stated as she put her hands on Tom's shoulders to get herself up. "And empty my bladder." She added sheepishly.

* * *

**11pm**

"Good girl Shadow, you're doing really well." Sam said encouragingly yet exhaustedly. They had turned the main lights off, but turned a heating lamp on over Shadow's box to keep the pups warm when they were born. The border collie was panting a little bit as she kept on fidgeting in her box and turned around in circles when Tom suddenly caught a glance of something.

"Hang on, I think puppy number one is closer than we think." Tom stated.

"What?"

"Isn't that the amniotic sac coming out?" Tom asked and Sam had to try and keep Shadow still before she inspected the dog by lifting up her tail slightly and found that the sac was in fact bulging and almost ready to come into the world because unlike human babies, puppies were born inside of their amniotic sacs.

"Yeah, well spotted." Sam nodded as she got onto her knees so that she was ready for the birth. Shadow was whining and panting as she stood up and kept on trying to sniff her own backside. "Shadow calm down, it's okay. You're being a really good girl." Sam said reassuringly but the dog would not sit down and she would not stop moving.

"Am I supposed to catch if she doesn't sit down or should I let it fall?" Tom questioned.

"I'll do it." Sam stated Sam's she pulled a pair of sterile gloves out of the box that they had gotten from work and he put them on her hands before she prepared to assist Shadow. Sam and Tom were both really intrigued by the process and so they watched tentatively as they watched the dog push the beginning of the sac out slowly before it all came out at once and Sam caught it in both of her hands. "Quick, put a towel down." Sam ordered and Tom put one of the old towels that they had, and Sam laid the bag containing the puppy on the towel right next to it's mother. "And hopefully, if we leave Shadow to it... She should clean it up..." Sam trailed off as they both waited and watched, until after a few seconds, Shadow chewed the sac open and then began licking it off of the little black and white pup. The straw coloured water soaked into the white towel whilst Shadow did what her instincts told her to do, before she began chewing the umbilical cord. Tom used a small suction ball on the pup's nostrils and mouth to clear any mucus and then they saw the puppy move it's arms and legs without any assistance - it was alive and well.

"One down, three to go." Tom announced.

* * *

**Saturday 5th September 2015, 4:21am**

Finally, all four puppies were settled and suckling away on shadow's nipples whilst they were kept warm by the overhead lamp. There were two boys and two girls, and all looked like black and white guinea pigs. Each of them had a bit of coloured wool loosely tied around their necks so that they didn't have to wear heavy collars and so that Sam and Tom could identify the oldest to the youngest.

"You're a really good girl Shadow." Sam whispered as she stroked the new mother's head.

"Go on, I'll keep an eye on her and make sure they get off to rest. Meanwhile, you really need to get some sleep because your due date is on Sunday and if you go into labour after staying up until half four in the morning, you are going to be knackered." Tom stated as he opened one of the sleeping bags that was laid on top of the duvet for Sam and patted it so that she would get in. Slowly, Sam crawled across the carpet and then flopped onto the sleeping bag.

"Wake me up if there's any change." Sam ordered sleepily.

"I will. I promise." Tom said reassuringly as he zipped her sleeping bag up which was a little tricky because of her bump, and then he went and sat by the whelping box so that he could keep a watchful eye over Shadow and her four puppies.

* * *

**9am**

Tom had fallen asleep laying on the carpet besides the whelping box and so he wasn't particularly comfortable when he woke up, but he looked behind him to find that Sam was still fast asleep in her sleeping bag. He then looked at Shadow who was still in the box that was messy from the labouring process but she had refused to move the previous night so he decided that to save Sam from doing the dirty work, he would completely changed the bedding in the box. So he collected a clean set of old towels from their bedroom and then he knelt down where all of the puppies were fast asleep and Shadow was resting with her eyes open by just a fraction to keep an eye on her offspring.

"Sshh." Tom whispered to settle Shadow as he gently removed the four puppies and placed them on a towel outside of the bed. As expected, Shadow followed and then stood behind them as they twitched in their sleep whilst their nervous systems were developing. They could not yet walk or open their eyes so Shadow was being very vigilant of them whilst Tom changed the blankets and towels in the whelping box until it was completely clean and dry. Tom smiled as he could imagine Sam being protective over their son in a similar way before he individually lifted the four puppies back into their bed and Shadow then curled up around them.

* * *

It was the day before Sam's due date and so, after a very late night, she had had a decent lie in and then a refreshing shower before she decided to inform Fletch of the good news. Also, they had agreed that because fletch was getting the puppy for free, Sam was to choose whether they got a boy or girl because until mere hours ago when they were born, they hadn't actually known the genders and Sam was allowed to chose which three of the two boys and two girls she wanted to keep.

"_Is it code red_?" Fletch demanded down the phone.

"Good morning Sam, how are you this morning? I'm fine thank you Fletch how are you?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"_I'll take that that means that Baby Kent isn't yet on his wa_y." Fletch concluded. "_Sorry, how are you_?" He asked.

"Getting very impatient." Sam remarked. "Althought, Shadow went into labour last night and she's had four healthy puppies." Sam stated proudly.

"_Really? Oh that's great. How is Shadow? Was her birth alright_?" Fletch asked whilst Tom came behind Sam in the kitchen and snaked his arms around her bump from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Shadow is perfectly fine, she's just tired. The last one was born at 4:13am." Sam stated.

"_Ouch. So I'm guessing that you and Tom are a bit tired too then_." Fletch concluded.

"Yeah, just a bit." Sam chuckled softly.

"_Is there anything I can do? You want me to come and keep an eye on the pups for a while? Or I could come and take Shadow out for a walk for you_." Fletch offered.

"No, it's alright. Shadow is perfectly happy being a mummy at the moment and she's curled up feeding them." Sam stated. "But thanks for the offer. Oh, and I've decided on the gender. You're gonna have a little boy so if you wanna tell your kids to start thinking of names, then they can argue all they want now." Sam smiled.

"_I will do, thank you for doing this. The kids are so excited about the puppy. When would I be able to bring them around to meet him_?" Fletch asked curiously.

"Um, it depends. I mean the puppies aren't supposed to be handled for a few weeks because we don't want them to get ill. And of course we're still waiting for Baby Kent to arrive so maybe in about a month." Sam replied.

"_Okay. Can I just have a quick word with Tom please? I just need to ask him about his shifts_." Fletch lied but Sam appeared to have bought it.

"Yeah sure." Sam gave Tom the phone before she went next door to check on her adorable little puppies and of course, the very protective but loving Shadow.

"Hello?" Tom said confusedly as he wondered why he was speaking to Sam's best friend.

"_Hiya Tom. I just wanted to ask if you've got a bedside sleeper_."

"Er, no what's that?"

"I_t's basically a three sided cot that you put right next to your mattress so that you'll have your son right next to you at night so you don't have to get up to settle him. I was just gonna say why don't you have ours? Because I can assure you that I am not having five kids and I thought maybe we could give it to you as a thanks for the puppy_." Fletch explained. "_You could surprise Sam with it because trust me, she will love having her son sleep inches away from her rather than a couple of feet away from her_."

"Oh um, well yeah that'd be great."

_"Okay. Well I'm busy tomorrow with the kids but maybe I could drop it round on Monday night_?"

"Yep that should be fine, but as with everything, we're just waiting for Sam to go into labour because it's her due date tomorrow so Monday unless I say otherwise."

"Yep okay."

* * *

**Sunday 6th September 2015, 9am**

Sam and Tom had just returned home after Sam's 40 week appointment with news that her cervix had not dilated at all, but she was 20% effaced which meant that their son was slowly on his way. She had been offered a sweep for the next week but Sam was determined not to have one because she was going to encourage her body to go into labour beforehand as she had heard how uncomfortable a sweep could be. And she definitively, didn't want to go more than 42 weeks because then she would have to be induced, and then she wouldn't be able to have a home birth that would be safe for either her or the baby. And to give birth at home after 42 weeks would be irresponsible.

"What do you want to do today?" Tom asked as he hung his coat up.

"Er... Give this place a spring clean." Sam stated.

"But it's September." Tom protested.

"So? We need to get this place ready for when the baby comes." Sam stated firmly. "We need to go shopping because the kitchen is practically empty, we need to clean Shadow's box again, there's loads of washing to do- what are you smirking at?" Sam asked sheepishly as she saw the coy look on Tom's face.

"This is your nesting instinct kicking in." Tom said proudly.

"No it's not, it's the 'this place is a pigsty and I need to clean up' instinct." Sam retorted.

"Correction: _we_ need to clean up, you're not doing this by yourself." Tom stated. "Infact, you can go and get in bed if you want and I'll clean this place up." Tom offered.

"No, I need to keep busy." Sam stated.

"Right, you go and write a shopping list and I'll start putting the washing on." Tom ordered as he wanted Sam to be doing as little as possible when she was so close to giving birth.

* * *

The entire one bedroom apartment was clean. All of the washing and ironing had been completed, the kitchen was filled to the brim with food and everything was exactly the way it should've been after a long, hard day of work. Sam was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of Shadow's box where the large dog laid with her four puppies suckling away to get their umpteenth feed when Tom came and sat besides her. She was in her pyjama shorts and vest top to keep her cool despite it not being very hot, and he was in a pair of shorts and an old tshirt.

"I hope our son doesn't make a habit of this." Tom joked.

"Eh?"

"Being late." Tom commented.

"Well, there's still 2 hours of the day left. He might still make an appearance on time." Sam said sleepily as she sat cross legged, her bump was in her lap and resting on her legs as she waited for any sign that he was coming - he had not yet 'dropped' into the birth canal and Sam hadn't had her show at all.

"Mm. And maybe it might be twins." Tom remarked. "Why don't you go and get into bed?" He suggested. "You've been on your feet all day, you must be tired."

"Nah, I want something to eat first." Sam admitted as she got up, and Tom understood that she wasn't being greedy, she just didn't eat a lot at meal times because she felt fuller much easier so she had to eat more frequently. Tom helped her to her feet but that didn't prevent the small groan from an aching back because she had a baby's head pushing on her spine.

"Well then you can go and get into bed and I'll bring you whatever you want." Tom offered and Sam didn't protest as she walked into the bedroom.

"Have we got any walnuts left?" Sam asked curiously as Tom pulled back the duvet for her and she got into bed.

"No, you finished them off yesterday." Tom stated. "But I can run up tescos quickly and get you some."

"No, don't bother doing that. I'll just have some dried banana chips. And some pineapple juice please." Sam requested and Tom nodded before he left the room. He soon returned with the bag of dried banana chips and a glass of juice and got into bed besides her.

"You know I'm really proud of you don't you?" Tom smiled as he put one arm around her shoulders.

"Why?" Sam questioned.

"Because you're having such a great pregnancy unlike many other women. You haven't had a drop of alcohol, you eat really healthily and you exercise in the right amounts - you don't overdo it. And most of all, you hadn't been overly moody and when you have, you don't take it out on me." Tom explained. Sam smiled to herself as she felt appreciated and Tom always had a way to make her feel like that, even when she was down in the dumps.

"Thank you." Sam said quietly in reply.

"But even though I've said that, I just want to make sure that tomorrow you take it easy and let me know if there's any sign of labour. Even if it's something tiny, just drop me a text or give me a ring yeah?" Tom requested because he was worried about having to go to work whilst his overdue wife would be at home all alone.

"I will." Sam nodded reassuringly. "What am I supposed to do all day by myself?" Sam moaned as she had been forced on maternity leave because she had gone past her due dare and we therefore unable to work within the law. "I can't take Shadow out for a long walk because she's perfectly happy staying in her box with the puppies, I can't go running because it's so uncomfortable and I'm bored of swimming."

"Well, as much as you might think that only fat people do this, you could just spend the day relaxing, watching your favourite movies with some popcorn or just have some time to yourself. You can have a nice bath and read a book-"

"That all sounds boring." Sam stated.

"I'm sure you'll find something to keep you occupied." Tom laughed.

"Mm, I'll probably just scoff my face with a load of rubbish." Sam retorted as she put the empty packet on the side and then she laid down on her left side, facing away from Tom so that he could wrap his arms around her from behind.

"You want me to wake you in the morning before I leave?" Tom whispered as he flicked the light off and the got comfortable.

"No, just leave a fruit salad on my bedside table before you go and make sure you lock the door." Sam mumbled.

"Okay. Night night." Tom kissed Sam on the cheek and then he nuzzled his nose into the back of her neck before they fell asleep.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam names the puppies but then she has an accident in the night.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Monday 7th September 2015, 5:20pm**

"Where's my chunky monkey?" Tom joked as he entered his home where he expected to find his wife getting up to mischief. But instead, he found her cooking dinner in the kitchen.

"Call me that again and you can cook for yourself tonight." Sam threatened playfully.

"What're we having?" Tom asked as he slipped his shoes off.

"A three course authentic Chinese meal." Sam announced and Tom smirked as he noticed that the black and white checkered apron had only just been able to have been tied up at the back of Sam. Whereas usually, she would wrap it around herself and then tied it up at the front because the strings were so long.

"And I'm guessing you chose to do this to keep you busy all day." Tom concluded.

"Yep."

"Well it smells delicious. By the way, Fletch is coming around in about five minutes to drop something off." Tom stated.

"Drop what off?" Sam demanded as she put her hands on her currently non-existent hips.

"A beside sleeper. It's a three sided cot that we can have on the side of our bed when you want him to sleep next to you or I, and then you won't have to get up in the night to feed him. Fletch said he wanted to give his one to us because there is no way that he's having five kids, and because we're giving him the puppy." Tom explained. "Anyway, has there been any changes today? Have you had your show?" Tom asked curiously.

"No I haven't had my show. But - bear in mind that you told me to tell you everything," Sam began to which Tom gave her a prompting look. "Right, don't panic but I had a little bit of diarrhoea. But I promise it was only once and I feel fine now." Sam stated.

"When was this?"

"Just after I woke up this morning."

"And you didn't text me sooner?!" Tom protested.

"Yeah because I didn't know if your phone was lying about in the staff room like it usually is and I didn't want anyone else to read a text from your wife saying 'I've got diarrhoea.'" Sam retorted. "If someone like Robyn had gotten hold if it, it'd be around the entire ED by lunch and if Fletch had found out, he'd never stop making diarrhoea jokes." Sam stated.

"Fair enough." Tom smirked.

* * *

"Bring it straight through mate." Tom smiled as he helped Fletch to carry the light brown wooden bedside sleeper into their bedroom where there was an exercise ball, a canister of gas and air and a medical bag from the hospital.

"What's all this?" Fletch questioned.

"Sam wants a home birth without a midwife." Tom replied as they placed it at the edge of the room because the baby was not born yet and so it would only get in the way.

"Thanks for this Fletch." Sam said as she leant in the doorway.

"You're wel- Jeez, you have gotten massive since I last saw you!" Fletch laughed.

"I would've thought that seeing as you have four kids that you know that that is a very inappropriate thing to say to a very hormonal woman who is not in a very good mood because she's overdue." Sam remarked as she folded her arms and rested them on her bump. She was standing with the apron on over her grey tracksuit bottoms and white vest top.

"Yes but you're not any ol' hormonal woman, you're Sam Kent which means that I know that you haven't cried throughout your entire pregnancy." Fletch said smugly. "And trust me, that is something to be proud of." He added. "Look there are a few midwives' tales to kick start labour if you're really that desperate."

"I'm listening." Sam quipped.

"I not sure why but having a spicy curry somehow helps, having sex could help because semen could soften your cervix, and this one worked for Nat when Mikey was overdue. Also, it's a bit awkward but nipple stimulation tricks your body into thinking that you're breastfeeding which releases oxytocin and that makes your uterus contract." Fletch explained.

"And that's why they call them 'tales'. Fletch they're not going to work, it was probably just a coincidence with Mikey." Sam replied.

"And this is why being a pregnant doctor isn't always a good thing; you think you know it all but trust me, just because something hasn't been proven, doesn't mean it's not true. You can't prove that there's such a thing as gravity but everyone knows that that exists." Fletch stated to which Sam twisted her lips and looked down at the floor.

"Right, I'll show you out. I think our dinner must nearly be done." Tom said as Sam was clearly in deep thought. Both men squeezed past Sam at the doorway and then Tom let Fletch out before he went back and Sam was in the kitchen again. "Right, why don't we spend some time together tonight and see if they really are tales?" Tom suggested softly. "You don't have to do anything and as soon as you say stop, I'll stop. And of course, we don't have to do anything if you're not in the mood." They hadn't had sex for almost a fortnight and even then it wasn't as good as it could've been because Sam had heartburn. He was almost always in the mood for sex, but of course Sam was rarely up for those sorts of things.

"No, I do want to." Sam said quietly as she pretended to be stirring the stir fry to avoid eye contact with him. "Can we do it in the shower? After dinner?" Sam asked more confidently once she realised that maybe she would be more comfortable there than lying on her side on the bed, plus pregnancy seemed to make her sweat more and she would be able to hide that if they were both under the stream of the shower.

"Yeah, of course we can." Tom nodded.

* * *

"And now, we've just got to let nature take it's course." Tom concluded as he wrapped a towel around his waist and then he wrapped a beach towel around Sam's figure as she too stepped out of the shower, because she could no longer fit a bath towel all the way around her body. Sam smiled as she put her hands on Tom's bare chest, went up on her tiptoes and kissed Tom on the lips before she returned to her original height to prevent her from getting a leg cramp. "Well you're certainly in a better mood." Tom smirked.

"What can I say? You never fail to impress me." Sam remarked before she walked into the bedroom.

"Have you come up with names for the puppies yet?" Tom asked.

"Not quite." Sam admitted. "I will do soon though." She added. "In fact, why don't you name the male?" Sam suggested as they were only going to have one male dog left once Fletch took his pup when it was old enough to leave, and then there would be two female pups, the only male one and Shadow.

"Because whatever I decide to call it, you won't like it." Tom laughed.

"No I work you can decide what to call him." Sam stated.

"Alright, he's called Fergie after Alex Ferguson." Tom concluded to which Sam grimaced at the stupid name. "I told you you wouldn't like it!" Tom protested.

"Well can you imagine shouting Fergie across the park?" Sam argued. "Plus it's not a very masculine name. Why don't you just call him Alex?" Sam suggested.

"Fine, Alex it is." Tom concluded.

"I really don't want to go overdue." Sam mumbled.

"Labour induction won't harm our baby." Tom said reassuringly.

"I know but I don't want to have to get that far because then I won't be able have a homebirth; it'd be too risky."

"Well, we can try our best to get labour kick started But at the end of the day, our son is gonna come out when he's ready."

* * *

Tom had just had a shave when he entered the living room to find Sam kneeling on the floor in front of the whelping box where she was moving a puppy that had crawled away from Shadow and was whining because it was clearly lost. Sam smiled as the puppy was more than content when it was united with it's mother and siblings before she turned to see Tom standing in his pyjama shorts and a shirt.

"You've got shaving cream in your ear." Sam commented.

"No I haven't." Tom argued.

"I know, but you normally do." Sam stated bluntly. "I've come up with names for them." Sam added.

"Yeah? Well you'd better have a good way of remembering them because it's very easy to get them confused when they all look like scrawny little black and white guinea pigs." Tom stated.

"Well Shadow is the biggest, but when the others grow up, she's always going to have the purple collar. Alex, the only male male is always going to have the red collar for Manchester United, the one with the dark blue collar is Fletch's pup that hasn't been named yet because his kids haven't decided. And this little girl with the pink collar is called Panda, and this one with the light blue collar is called Zoe." Sam stated and Tom burst out laughing.

"You've called a border collie puppy after our boss?!" He laughed.

"Yeah. Zoe is stubborn, she thinks she's in charge of the others and she doesn't like competition. Neither does our boss!" Sam joked and both laughed for a while before they calmed down.

"But seriously though, I can't shout across a park Fergie, but you can shout Panda?" Tom queried.

"Yeah but she suits the name Panda because she's black and white, in what way does Fergie suit a _male_ border collie?" Sam remarked.

"Alright I give up. So we've got Shadow, Panda, Zoe and Alex." Tom listed so that he would remember them, but he was sure to get them confused in one way or another.

"Right. I'm gonna go to bed." Sam announced.

"Yeah me too. It's been a long day." Tom sighed as he got up. Honestly, he wasn't really very tired because it was only 9pm but he knew that because Sam was so heavily pregnant, she was a light sleeper because anything seemed to wake her up. And that meant that if Sam went to bed early and then Tom got into bed an hour later, Sam would be woken up and he knew that she needed all the sleep she could get. They both brushed their teeth before they got into bed and cuddled up, awaiting the arrival of their son...

* * *

**Tuesday 8th September, Midnight**

Sam awoke to an annoyingly familiar feeling: a full bladder. But she really couldn't be bothered to get up and get out from under the comfy, warm duvet where she felt safe. And so she closed her eyes again, and it didn't take long before sleep overcame her.

* * *

**1:30am**

_I slowly opened my eyes into the darkness to realise that yet again, I had woken because I needed the toilet and I must've woken half a dozen times in the last hour or so because of the same reason. I gave up because I knew that I would have to get up eventually and so I carefully tiptoed through the darkness until I closed the bathroom door and switched the light on so that I didn't wake my husband. The light was scalding, but I needed to see where I was going. I pulled my pyjama bottoms and underwear down, sat on the toilet and for what seemed like the millionth time in the last few weeks, I emptied my bladder..._

* * *

Sam woke because she felt uncomfortable, and she almost felt a tingling feeling between her thighs. And it took a couple of seconds until she realised that she was wet. Finally, she thought, her waters had broken. But just to make sure, she reached down and put her hand in the warm puddle that had formed on top of the waterproof sheet that was protecting the matress. She brought her damp hand to her nose, only her heart skipped a beat when she realised that it wasn't amniotic fluid; it was urine. No she wouldn't have... Maybe she hadn't gone to the toilet after all. Maybe she had dreamt that she had gone to the toilet, but she had actually wet the bed in her sleep. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to think of a discrete way that she could deal with the situation, only before she came up with an idea Tom stirred and he had woken up too.

"Sam, Sam I think your waters have broken." Tom whispered excitedly as his boxers were wet from the puddle on the sheets.

"It's not my waters." Sam mumbled.

"What?" He asked, as she was being very quiet and so he hadn't heard her.

"It's not my waters." She repeated quietly.

"Oh. Did you have an accident? It's alright, it happens; your bladder is under a lot of strain at the moment."

"I'm sorry." Sam sniffed. "I don't understand, I thought I'd gotten up to go... I'm so stupid." Sam muttered to herself. She didn't understand why she had wet the bed because she hadn't done so since she was a little girl.

"Hey, don't cry remember you've made it this far and you are not allowed to cry now, you hear me?" Tom said sternly as he reached behind him and switched on the bedside lamp. Tom slid out of bed and Sam watched him in confusion before she realised that he had gotten her a clean pair of pyjamas, underwear and a panty liner. "Why don't you go and get cleaned up and changed in the bathroom, and I'll quickly change the sheets?" Tom ordered rather than suggested as he pulled the damp duvet back and Sam had to peel her legs open as she sat up in her dripping wet shorts and the back of her shirt was wet too where the liquid had seeped upwards. "It's okay, we'll forget about this and we won't speak about it again, I promise." Tom whispered reassuringly before he kissed Sam on the cheek and then she got up, took the pile of clothes from Tom and waddled uncomfortably out into the bathroom.

Tom put the pillows on the floor because those were still dry and clean. But the duvet was wet so he took that and the bed sheet and he put them in the washing machine. Then, he was left with the clear plastic waterproof sheet on the mattress that had a pool of yellow liquid in the centre of it where there was a slight dip in the bed. He soaked it up with kitchen roll and threw that in the bin, before he used antibacterial wipes on the sheet, dried it with some paper towels and then he put a clean sheet over the matress. They didn't have a spare duvet and so Tom set on gathering several blankets that they could sleep under for the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, Sam had just thrown her soiled pyjamas and underwear in the bin because she was ashamed of them and she knew that even though they could be cleaned, they would only bring back the memory of that night. She then slowly went back to the bedroom where Tom was still making the bed up so she flicked the living room light on and knelt down in front of the whelping box to check on the puppies. All four of them were fast asleep, all with their heads facing Shadow's belly where they had fallen asleep whilst they were feeding, but Shadow was still awake with her sleepy eyes looking directly at Sam - she knew Sam could be trusted with her puppies and that she wasn't a threat so she hadn't gotten up. Sam was so proud of her dog - she was only a year old when she had become a mother and many had doubts about whether Shadow could even give birth safely. But Shadow had defeated them, and not only and she had a fairly good birth, but she had turned as maternal as some humans as she loving fed her puppies and licked them clean every day. Sam gently stroked Shadow's head and neck but she jumped when she realised that Tom had entered the room.

"You wanna come back to bed?" He asked softly and Sam nodded so he slipped his hands under her arms and hoisted her onto her feet before they both went to the bedroom. "The duvet was a bit wet too so I thought we'd be alright with blankets for tonight." Tom explained.

"Thank you... For cleaning up. You didn't have to."

"No, but I _wanted_ to. I'd do anything for you." Tom stated as they both climbed into bed, and Tom snuggled up to Sam from behind. "He's already being a little pain in the bum isn't he? First he's late and then he does this." Tom smirked as he turned off the light.

"Don't blame him, it was my fault. I woke up and I need the toilet but I fell back asleep again; I should've gotten up." Sam muttered ashamedly.

"I wasn't blaming him and I'm not going to blame you because it was no one's fault; it was an accident. Now get some sleep because some of us have got work in the morning." Tom joked halfheartedly and Sam rolled her eyes before she nuzzled her face into her pillow and tried to put the night's event behind them.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam finally goes into labour! But will it be after an induction, or naturally?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Wednesday 9th September, 5:30am**

Sam woke up with an unusual feeling. She wasn't tired as she had gone to bed early, but surely she wouldn't have woken up that early unless there was a reason for it, would she? She felt almost as though she was about to come on her period, only she had not had one for over nine months, in fact she hadn't had a period for 40 weeks and 3 days because she was overdue and she was beginning to get sick of it. Then it clicked in her mind that period pains could be a sign of early labour. She smiled to herself that it could finally be the day that her son was born, but she decided that because it was so early, and it could still be a false alarm that she wouldn't wake Tom up just yet. She just laid on her side with her hands on her bump, because she had a feeling that in less than 24 hours, she would no longer have her baby inside of her...

* * *

**6am**

Tom's alarm for him to get ready for work went off and immediately he turned it off as every morning that week he had tried not to wake Sam up because there was no need for her to be up that early, but as he turned over, he noticed that she was already out of bed and then he heard the toilet flush. A minute later, she entered the bedroom and leant in the doorway in her shorts and vest.

"You're not going into work today." Sam said sheepishly.

"Why?" Tom demanded.

"I think he's finally decided he wants to come out." Sam shrugged happily and Tom just grinned like a child on Christmas Day. Most parents would panic, but not these two because they had everything that they could've possibly done for the arrival of their son ready. There was nothing more that they could do, and most of all, Sam and Tom were fully prepared for their unassisted home birth.

"Have you had your show?" Tom asked.

"Nope. But I did kind of have a loose bowel movement just now which I think is my body emptying for birth." Sam admitted. "I haven't had any contractions but I've had period pains and he's dropped overnight. Look, can you tell?" Sam asked curiously as she turned side on so that Tom could see her figure.

"Er... Well... Honestly? I can't tell the differnece." Tom admitted.

"It's fine. But he's definitely dropped because there's more pressure on my bladder and look, you can feel his head; it's engaged." Sam stated and Tom got up and let Sam place his hand on her lower abdomen. "Well push down a bit then, it's not gonna hurt him." Sam smiled and Tom did so, and he felt a large solid object within his wife's uterus at the bottom of her bump which caused him to smile.

"Right. From now on then, everything is down to you. So what do you want to do?"

"I want you to call Zoe and tell her that you're not going to be in at work today." Sam remarked and Tom rolled his eyes before he grabbed the home phone.

"I'm sure she's going to appreciate being rung at this hour." Tom joked before he made the phone call to tell his boss that Sam was in the early stages of labour, and that he wasn't going to make it into work that morning. "Right, now would you like some breakfast? It'll keep your energy levels up." He offered.

"I'll have... Some toast with marmite please. And a banana yogurt." Sam requested.

"Coming right up my beautiful wife." Tom smiled as he pecked Sam on the cheek - he could tell that it was going to be a good day. "This explains why you were tidying the bedroom yesterday - again." Tom shouted from the kitchen.

"No it doesn't! I was tidying the bedroom because it was a pigsty!" Sam protested as she waddled into the living room so that she could check on the dogs. "Right, c'mon you. You need to go out." Sam ordered and reluctantly, Shadow followed Sam's pointing finger through the kitchen towards the back door, leaving her puppies who were fast asleep in the box. Shadow hadn't been further than the back garden since the puppies' birth almost a week ago, but Sam understood why she didn't want to leave them and quite frankly, she couldn't be bothered to walk her anyway. Sam reached the back door and was about to let Shadow out when there was a loud rip of thunder across the grey sky and it was torrential raining. Shadow, like most dogs, hated thunder so she ran back to her bed to protect her offspring. "Great, that means she isn't going to go out for the entire day." Sam concluded sarcastically as she leant against the kitchen counter.

"No but it does mean that she's going to be preoccupied all day and staying in her box so that means that we won't get interrupted when we're in the thick of it." Tom replied as he buttered their toast.

"Don't tell anyone else yet please. I don't really want people to know because then they'll be wanting an update every five minutes. I might tell Fletch and you can tell one other person if you want but that's it."

"Okay, my one person is going to be Robyn then." Tom joked and Sam frowned. "Joking, we can just tell Fletch. Though I would like to be the one who announces when our son had been born on Facebook with an adorable picture of mum and baby." He admitted quirkily.

"You can get an adorable picture of our baby, not of me though; I bet I'll look dreadful." Sam remarked as she pinched a bit of toast from the plate and began eating. "And please don't start talking like an idiot when you say stupid things like 'mum, baby is almost here'. My name is Sam, and just call him _the_ baby not baby." Sam ordered.

"Of course." Tom nodded as he took a bit of toast and leant against the counter opposite her so that he was facing her.

"I think I'm gonna go for a shower in a little while."

"Why don't you just step outside?" Tom joked as he looked out the window where the rain was pouring down. "Make sure you don't lock the door." He said sternly.

"We never look the door - as you said when you first moved in, 'this home has an open door policy on the bathroom.'" Sam said mockingly.

"Just making sure."

They were both eating their toast in silence until Sam began to make noises.

"Ow. Ow, that hurts. Oooowwww." She moaned as she rubbed her bump. The pain wasn't crippling - yet - so it wasn't too bad but she certainly wasn't expecting it. Tom couldn't help but chuckle at her pain management methods but he reached forward to feel her bump, and unlike it's usual soft texture, it was firmer - she had just had her first noticeable contraction.

"This is it; no going back now." Tom stated.

"No going back now." Sam nodded as she took his hand in hers for support. "Tom... What do we normally do when we've got spare time?"

"Is this a trick question?" Tom asked confusedly.

"No, seriously."

"We make love?" He questioned.

"Yep. And considering my waters haven't broken yet, and we're just waiting, I'd consider this free time wouldn't you?"

"So you want sex?"

"Maybe." Sam admitted sheepishly. "But only gentle, and I'm not moving." Sam stated as she folded her arms across her chest and rested them on her bump.

"So you want me to do all of the work." Tom concluded smugly to which, Sam gave a cheeky smile. "As long as there's no chance of pregnancy." He joked. "Come on, your wish is my command." He smirked as he took her hand in his and lead her through to their bedroom.

* * *

"Ah stop. Tom stop." Sam ordered quickly and instantly, Tom froze behind her as they both laid on their sides on the bed. Tom slid his arms around Sam and felt that she was having a contraction again. She screwed her eyes shut as she waited and within seconds, the pain faded way.

"You wanna give it a rest now?" Tom asked kindly to which, Sam nodded so he gently pulled out of her and then got off of the bed and pulled his boxer shorts on.

"Right, I'm gonna go for a shower." Sam announced as she sat up in nothing but her sports bra and then she pulled on her underwear and pyjama shorts.

"I could run you a bath if that's what you'd prefer." Tom offered.

"No thanks, I'd rather just have a quick shower by myself." Sam replied as she knew that it would possibly be the last time that she could be alone and speak to her bump without feeling stupid because Tom wouldn't be around.

* * *

"Tom, go and check on the dogs." Sam ordered as she kept the beach towel wrapped around her body. She had taken a shower by herself and she knew that Tom had been pacing outside of the door, listening for any signs of trouble.

"What? Sam they'll be fine."

'No please, just go and check on them so I can get changed in peace." Sam ordered.

"I'm gonna see a lot more than you getting changed when you get more progressed." Tom joked.

"I know but just make sure that Shadow is alright, you know she doesn't like storms." Sam stated as it had been raining cats and dogs outside along with the occasional rumbler of thunder or flash of lightening.

"Alright." Tom nodded reluctantly. "Do you want me to bring the whelping box into here and I can put it next to the wardrobe or something? If it'll keep you a little more relaxed I don't mind having the mongrels in here." Tom offered cheekily.

"No it's fine, she'll only distract me. Now let me get changed!" Sam ordered and Tom grinned before he walked out of the room and left Sam alone.

* * *

"I know you want to keep active to keep things moving, but this is a little extreme, isn't it?" Tom smirked as the pair were playing a game of tennis against each other on the Wii.

"Well I could be outside in the torrential rain going for a run." Sam retorted.

"No you couldn't, you haven't been able to run properly for about two or three months." Tom laughed. He grunted as he swung the Wii remote to hit the virtual ball causing Sam to laugh as every time he made a different sound.

"Stop making me laugh or I'm gonna wet myself!" Sam protested but she went quiet once she remembered the event that had happened only a few nights ago.

"Shall we make this the last game?" Tom suggested to change the subject.

"Yeah I-" Sam doubled over so Tom dropped his remote and jumped to her assistance, only she had been fooling him as she stood up properly and delivered the final blow - she had beaten Tom.

"You absolute cow." Tom moaned.

"And the fat pregnant woman beats the old git!" Sam announced proudly as she collapsed back onto the sofa and took a swig from her bottle of water.

"It's not fair, this is technically two against one." Tom protested.

"So? I-"

"I'm not falling for it again." Tom huffed as Sam had bent over only she groaned in pain for real this time and immediately Tom got onto his knees in front of her and took one of her hands in his. "Crap, you're not kidding, are you?" He said softly. It took a couple of moments of deep breathing before she sat up a little straighter and gave him evils. "The boy who cried wolf comes to mind." Tom commented quietly. "Has it gone?"

"Yep." Sam nodded slowly. "Come and sit down, I wanna watch the news." Sam said as she switched the TV to the Sky box rather than the Wii, and then she put it on BBC news.

_"...River Severn has burst it's banks and areas within two miles of the river are up to four feet underwater. Emergency services are working at full capacity to rescue people who are affected by this terrible weather and Holby City Hospital, and St James' are having to send non emergency patients to Bath Hospital to deal with the crisis. We will be back with more after this short break_."

"Good job you chose a home birth. Can you imagine trying to get a hospital bed now?" Tom laughed. "We'd probably end up in Bath Hospital. And even if you did get a bed, I doubt that you'd be in a comfortable room; you'd be in the middle of a ward with one midwife per twenty women." He added.

"And our baby is coming at a perfect timing because it means that you don't have to be in the ED at the moment. Can you imagine how busy it is?"

"And I reckon the only reason you went into labour was because of what we did last night so you should be thanking my sperm for softening your cervix." Tom said jokily.

"Oi, the only reason that you're not working your socks off in the ED at the moment is because of my body so cut me some slack and stop with the terrible jokes." Sam ordered. "I hope you've got your comedian act together becuase I'm relying on you to help me laugh through the pain." She said sternly.

"No no no, I was hoping that I'd be the one laughing at the stupid things you say on gas and air." Tom protested. "By the way, we've only got one canister of entonox so don't go gasping it, only use it when you need it."

"One canister will be plenty, I have a much higher pain threshold than you give me credit for."

"I know you have a high pain threshold, I'm just worried that once you get a lungful of the stuff, you won't stop." Tom laughed.

* * *

"I feel sick." Sam stated as she closed her eyes and put her hands on her bump whilst she sat on the sofa.

"I'll go and get the sick bowls-"

"No, I'm not puking in some cardboard thing just help me up." Sam ordered and so Tom gently pulled her up and then she began waddling to the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bath waiting, whilst Tom sat besides her and thankfully she already had her hair tied back in a ponytail. But after a few minutes, Sam knew she didn't have long left so she went to get onto her knees in front of the toilet bowl.

"Wait, you'll get a bad back on the hard floor." Tom warned as he quickly slid onto his knees on the floor, a foot away from the toilet and then he patted his thighs. "Come on, you can't be that heavy." He joked and reluctantly, Sam knelt down with her bum on Tom's thighs and then faced the toilet. Tom decided against giving her a back rub in case it made her feel worse so he just left her to it and within a few minutes she sat up a little more and hung her head over the toilet. Tom knew she was probably going to be sick so he just grabbed her ponytail and held it behind her back. He was right; seconds later she vomited into the toilet bowl. "If you didn't like my toast, you should've just said." Tom remarked as he rubbed her back.

"That's not funny." Sam sighed as she sunk back into Tom's chest so he wrapped his arms around her bump.

"Then why're you smiling then?" Tom smirked and Sam couldn't help but widen her smile slightly. "Well done, you want to go and get into bed now?" He asked and Sam nodded so Tom helped her up and guided her back to bed.

"But don't tell me 'well done' for throwing up, it just sounds weird." Sam scoffed.

"Okay. You want something to eat? Or a massage of any part of your body?" Tom offered as Sam sat on the edge of their bed and she had a sip of water from the bottle on her bedside table.

"No. I just wanna get everything into place now." Sam stated.

"Okay, if you want to get changed into whatever you want to wear, I'll put the pads over the bed." Tom stated and so Sam grabbed what she wanted and went to the bathroom whilst Tom took the duvet off of the bed and laid out the large square disposable pads on the mattress that midwives used for home births to prevent a mess. He had just finished using all four of their pillows to make it comfortable for Sam to be propped up when she entered the bedroom wearing a supportive, black, halter neck bikini top and a beach towel around the underneath of her bump leaving it out in the open for Tom to see. "You going swimming?" Tom joked.

"Considering I haven't got anything on my bottom half," Sam began and Tom chuckled as he helped her onto the middle of the bed where Tom had positioned the pillows so she had plenty of room to move about. She sat almost upright with a thin white sheet over her split legs until it would be time, and Tom got the gas and air mouthpiece ready to use.

"Right. Now I suppose all we have to do is wait." Tom concluded as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind Sam's ear. Sam forced a smile and a nod in return as they awaited the arrival of their child.

* * *

"Tom!" Sam shouted from the bathroom and of course, Tom had been waiting outside for her whilst she emptied her bladder so he quickly burst in to find Sam standing by the sink with straw coloured fluid dripping down her bare legs and creating a small puddle around her feet.

"Jesus Christ don't do that! I thought you were in trouble or something!" Tom exclaimed as he clutched his chest with one hand. But then Tom looked at how vulnerable Sam looked as she watched the pool of liquid slowly grow between her feet. "You okay?"

"That felt weird." Sam announced finally.

"Well I wouldn't have thought that you're used to ruining our bathroom floor." Tom remarked. "Here, you get dried up and I'll clean the floor." Tom smiled as he put the hand towel on the floor to absorb the liquid.

"I can't; it's still coming out." Sam admitted as she could still feel the liquid slowly trickling down her legs.

"Alright, we'll just wait then." Tom chuckled as he leant in the doorway.

* * *

**3pm**

"You're doing really, really well Sam. Don't worry about the gas and air, you've got plenty left." Tom said reassuringly as Sam crushed his hand during a contraction. Sam took one final breath of the entonox before she put the mouthpiece on the bed and she began to relax a little bit as the pain passed. She took deeper breaths and slowly released Tom's hand too.

"I think I'm ready to push on the next one." Sam stated. They had both agreed that Tom wasn't going to look until the baby was crowning or almost crowning because Sam saw no need for him to check as she certainly wasn't going to let him check her dilation.

"Right, okay. You do whatever your body tells you to." Tom nodded.

"But I wanna lean on the exercise ball for a while on the floor." Sam admitted.

"Okay, I'll just put another pad on the floor." Tom stated as he grabbed one out of the pack -he had gotten many to be prepared - and he laid it on the floor before he rolled the big blue birthing ball over.

"Thank you, for doing all of this. I really appreciate it." Sam said gratefully as she got off of the bed in just her bikini top and took the sheet with her.

"Hey, you're giving me a son. I should be the one thanking you, not the other way around." Tom said softly as he helped her onto her knees. She knelt on the pad and put her arms on the ball to support he weight whilst Tom laid the white sheet over her backside to give her some privacy. "I googled a few labour jokes earlier by the way."

"Come on then, let's hear them." Sam ordered .

"What's the difference between a model, and a nine month pregnant woman?" He asked and Sam shrugged. "Nothing if I know what's good for me." Tom joked and Sam looked unimpressed.

"That was terrible." Sam commented.

"I know."

"Can you put the playlist called 'Birth 1' on, on my iPad please?" Sam requested.

"Yeah sure." Tom got up and did as Sam wanted, and the soft sounds of James Blunt - Bonfire Heart filled the room. "You decided to avoid the heavy metal for the birth of our child then?" Tom smiled as he sat adjacent to Sam whilst she rested her cheek on the birthing ball and she slowly rocked back and forth a little bit.

"Yeah, I didn't really want our son to come out screeching a bit of Metallica." Sam retorted. "Despite the pain, I'm enjoying this much more than I thought I would." Sam admitted. "With you at work these last few days, we haven't spent much time together and I like it now with just you, me and him."

"I like this too." Tom grinned. "Ooh, I forgot the gas and air." He stated as he went to get up but Sam grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Leave it, I need to take a break from that for a while or I'm gonna be high for the birth of our child." Sam joked.

"When he's born, what do you want to happen? I mean I know you want him straight on your chest but do you want to keep your bikini top on? Or take it off? And when do you want to try breastfeeding? Because it's best to start within half an hour of birth but it's completely up to you." Tom asked softly and Sam took a few moments to think about it before she replied.

"I want skin to skin contact straight after the birth and I'll try feeding fairly soon after the birth to speed up the delivery of placenta."

"Sounds like a plan." Tom nodded.

* * *

"I give you permission to look now, I must be crowning." Sam panted between contractions that were only a few minutes apart. After rocking on the birth ball, she had resumed her position of being propped up by pillows on the bed with her legs split and a sheet over her bottom half. But now Sam had decided that Tom was allowed to check on whether their son was visible or not.

"Alright." Tom smiled as he moved from her side and knelt down on the bed between her legs. He pulled the sheet out of the way but he saw no sign of their baby. "Give it another few contractions and I'm sure he's on his way." Tom said reassuringly.

"That means that you can't see anything." Sam concluded exhaustedly as she let her head hit the pillow.

"Hey, you're doing really well. You've only been pushing for about twenty minutes, some women can take up to two hours." Tom stated. "He'll be here soon. Just you wait." Tom whispered.

* * *

**Coming up: Baby Kent is born and Sam is overwhelmed with becoming a new mum. But what will they decide to call their son?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :) I will try and update again later today, some nice reviews might persuade me to do so ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Wednesday 9th September 2015, ****4pm**

"You are doing so so well Sam, don't give up now you're nearly there." Tom said encouragingly as Sam used the gas and air to deal with the pain whilst Tom sat between her legs on the bed, waiting for the arrival of their baby. In just her bikini top and nothing else, Sam was still sweating with her hair tied back in, what used to be a tight bun but what was now a messy one. She was slightly red in the face too. "Here, give me your hand." He ordered gently.

"What?" Sam demanded.

"Just trust me." He ordered and reluctantly, Sam let go of the mouth piece and she did as she was told. Tom then moved Sam's hand past her bump and she could feel something wet and textured. "That's his head, he's not out yet but you can just see the top of his head." Tom grinned. "Can you feel his hair?" He asked softly.

"No, I thought I'd just missed a bit shaving." Sam joked sarcastically.

"You see? Just a couple more contractions and he'll be here really soon." Tom stated. Sam was taking deep breaths to combat the pain but Tom knew she was struggling so all he could do was to encourage Sam and tell her what an amazing job she was doing. "Just slow down on the pushing while his head comes out to try and prevent tearing okay?"

"Okay." Sam nodded. She just wanted her baby out as soon as possible but she really didn't want to tear - Tom had been giving her perineal massage for weeks to prevent such a thing - so she tried to take a small break and rested her head on the pillow behind her.

"I think he's got brown hair." Tom said softly.

"If I ever moan about having a headache again I give you permission to remind me of this event and how painful it was." Sam remarked and Tom smiled.

"I am impressed though, you haven't wet yourself or accidentally emptied your bowels." Tom joked.

"Yet." Sam added.

"Ooh, he's on the move." Tom announced as he used a clean towel to wipe away the small amount of blood that had appeared. "His head's coming... It's coming... Sam I told you not to push!" Tom protested.

"I can't help it!" Sam argued so Tom rolled his eyes. "Aaahh!" Sam moaned before she took quick breaths of the entonox and began panting again.

"And his head is here! Sam look, look at his face, you can see your son." Tom announced happily as he used the towel to wipe his baby's face clean and then he used a small suction ball to clear the baby's airways. "Just one last push and I'm sure you can get him out Sam." Tom stated as he supported the newborn's head.

"I can't... I can't-"

"Yes you can, Sam you're doing so so well. Come on just one last push for me when the next contraction comes and he'll be all yours, you'll have our baby I promise." Tom said encouragingly.

* * *

"Keep pushing, keep pushing- well done Sam!" Tom said happily as he took his baby into his hands and he laid him face down on Sam's chest straight away because he knew the importance of skin-to-skin contact. The small flushed baby squirmed about and once Tom rubbed his back a little bit with a towel, he erupted into a soft cry that softened once Tom had stopped the action and he just left the towel on his back to keep him warm. Sam put her hands on the baby's back - under the towel to stop him rolling off of her still rounded belly - and then looked at his eyes which were still screwed shut, and she just didn't know what to do. She was so overcome with emotion that her eyes began to fill with tears but no matter how hard she tried to stop them, two rolled down her cheek. "You managed the whole birth and pregnancy without crying, and you cry _now_." Tom chuckled softly. "Time of birth: 4:13pm. You did really well Sam, well done."

"Thanks." Sam said in a whisper as she couldn't take her eyes off of her newborn son.

"Right, do you want to try feeding now so we can get the placenta on it's way?" Tom suggested. They wanted to leave the umbilical cord until it stopped pulsating so that they knew that their baby had gotten all the possible nutrients from Sam so they weren't cutting it immediately. Sam nodded so Tom helped to wrap the towel around their son properly and they turned him on his back. Tom put a pillow on Sam's lap and they laid their baby on it to get him in the correct position to feed. "Okay. I'll just undo this for you." Tom stated as he gently reached behind Sam's neck and untied her black halter neck bikini and he pulled it down on the side closest to their baby's head. As Sam had read on the internet, she used one arm to tilt her baby until he was facing Sam, and the used the other hand to hold her breast as she got ready to feed her son for the first time. He was babbling and making soft noises and so he already had his mouth open before he closed his mouth over Sam's nipple. "No, try that again. He's not latched on properly." Tom said softly and so Sam used her little finger to detach her son. "You need to try and get as much of the areola in his mouth as possible." Tom stated as he sat on the bed besides her, and after a couple more tries, Sam got him latched on. "You can hear him suckling." Tom smiled and Sam did too. She was still in pain, but the worst of it was over. And she had brought their son into the world in less than twelve hours from start to finish which was pretty quick for a first time mum. "Hey, stop crying. Everything went how you wanted didn't it?" Tom laughed softly as he wiped the tears from under Sam's eyes because her hands were preoccupied.

"Of course it did; I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm just happy and... Overwhelmed, I suppose." Sam shrugged.

"Well done, I'm so so proud of you." Tom whispered before he pecked Sam on her forehead. "Right, let's get your placenta out." Tom stated as he got up and went to kneel between Sam's legs again to deliver the placenta and complete the final stage of the birthing process.

* * *

**8pm**

Oddly, the Kent family had already fallen into a routine within hours of their baby's birth. Sam was sleeping and recovering after the birth and so after having a shower and changing into some comfortable pyjamas whilst Tom cleaned up the bedroom and made the bed up with clean sheets, she had curled up in bed, with the bedside sleeper right next to her so that her son was no more than a foot away from her. Every two hours, both Sam and their son would wake. Sam would empty her bladder because she had to get rid of the extra fluids from pregnancy and she'd change her maternity pad, then she would sit up in bed, and breastfeed their son for however long he wanted. Though his first two feeds had taken forty minutes because he had a habit of falling asleep whilst feeding. After feeding, Sam and Tom would put their son back to sleep and then Sam would drift off too. And if was about time that the whole routine started over again...

"Sam... Sam wakey wakey." Tom said softly and Sam slowly opened her eyes and then twisted her neck to look at her baby boy wriggling in the bedside sleeper right next to her, and he was putting his fist in his mouth - a sign that he was hungry.

"I'll be right back." Sam stated as she shuffled to the end of the bed because the cot meant she couldn't get out of her side of the bed, and she quickly used the bathroom before she returned to find Tom sitting on his side of the bed with a tray with a plate of lightly buttered toast and a glass of orange juice in front of him.

"I thought you might want something to keep you going." Tom stated as Sam slowly climbed back onto the bed. "And I've got Baby Kent his first little toy." Tom smiled as he showed Sam the black and white border collie plush toy that he had gotten from Hamleys months ago. He leant over Sam and put it in the corner of his cot, out of the way so that it wouldn't cause him any harm as he wasn't old enough to play with it.

"I'll just get him started before I eat." Sam stated as she pulled a pillow onto her lap but she grimaced as she laid the infant who was swaddled in a blue blanket with a light blue cap on on the pillow.

"How are you feeling?" Tom asked curiously.

"Not too bad. It's just like period pains really but it's nothing compared to earlier." Sam replied as she pulled her vest top down on one side, unfastened her nursing bra and took a couple of minutes before he latched on. "How's Shadow and the pups?"

"Shadow is perfectly fine now that the storm has passed, she went out in the garden and did her business and she's curled up feeding her babies just like you at the moment." Tom explained as he put one arm around Sam's shoulder and looked down at his son who had his eyes wide open as he suckled away making small sounds with each swallow. Like both of his parents, the newborn had bluey-green eyes and his head was coated in a very thin layer of golden brown hair. "Thank you for bringing our son into the world. You... This just means so much to me and I don't know how on earth I can ever repay you-"

"You don't have to repay me, just be the brilliant dad that I know you will be." Sam replied as she rested her head in the crook of Tom's neck. "Besides, you gave me the ideal birth - I wouldn't have had anything differently if I had the choice - and that was really important to me." Sam stated. "I didn't want to be scared to give birth again, and I'm not."

"Oh, so you're already planning on our next child are you?" Tom joked.

"Not in the immediate future, no." The couple sat in silence for a little while longer whilst their son filled his tiny stomach with colostrum when Tom noticed that the boy's eyelids were shut and his cheeks weren't moving.

"Oi, I know it's tiring work eating and sleeping all day mate but you've got to stay awake to eat." Tom chuckled as he tickled his son under the chin causing him to stir and then he began suckling again without difficultly as the latch had not been broken.

"This is a whole lot quieter than I thought it'd be." Sam admitted.

"Well maybe we're one of the lucky few who has a very well behaved little son." Tom smiled.

"Yeah right. If he's got you as a father, he's gonna turn out to be a right little monkey with a cheeky grin like the one you've got right now." Sam stated bluntly.

* * *

**9pm**

Sam laid fast asleep on her side, resting after the long day whilst Tom sat in bed, in his boxers, with his son in just a nappy, lying on his chest. The bedside lamp was on very low to reduce stimulation of the young infant whilst he wriggled and squirmed about.

"I would read you a story little man, but we don't want to wake mummy up do we?" He whispered. "Mummy's worked very hard to bring you into this world and after carrying you for 41 weeks, and then giving birth, I think she deserves a nice nap, don't you? Now then, what are we going to call you?"

"I like Daniel." Sam croaked and Tom looked down to see Sam's sleepy eyes looking up at her son on his father's chest.

"Hmm, Daniel... What do you think? You like Daniel Kent?" Tom asked his son, who only made quiet noises as he waved his clenched fists around a little.

"He could be Daniel Thomas Kent if you want." Sam offered and Tom grinned.

"I think he definitely looks like a Daniel Thomas Kent." Tom stated proudly. "Well that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. How're you feeling?"

"Still a bit sore, but not too bad."

"Listen, the plan for tomorrow is take you and Daniel for your thorough check over with your obs and gynae consultant at 8:30am, and then there is quite literally a list of people who want to come around and meet him and see how you are so we could start accepting visitors."

"Yippee." Sam sighed sarcastically.

"Well lots of people have been affected by the flooding and could do with cheering up. Robyn, Lofty and Max's house is flooded and Zoe is having to put up with all three of them while they wait for the river to go down."

"Oh, I bet she's loving that." Sam joked. "It'll just give her an excuse to have Max sleep in her bed."

"Oi, none of that kind of talk around my son please." Tom smiled as his son was content with being 'free' as Tom put it, in just his nappy with chest to chest contact with his father.

"Why don't we go and introduce him to Shadow and see what she makes of him?" Sam suggested as she brought her hand up out of the duvet and put her thumb in Daniel's palm before he screwed his fist up and gave Sam's thumb a weak squeeze causing both new parents to smile.

"Yep. But we'll have to be careful of her, just in case. She's very protective of the pups and she might think he's a threat because she hasn't seen him before." Tom warned as he carefully got out of bed and then Sam took Daniel into his arms whilst he pulled a dark blue dressing gown on over his boxers.

"Why hasn't he got any clothes on by the way?" Sam asked as she swaddled the boy in a bright blue blanket to keep him warm on the changing table.

"He's just like me, he prefers to be in his underwear or in this case, his nappy." Tom stated and Sam rolled her eyes in response.

"Actually, I suppose it does save on washing." Sam shrugged jokily as she picked him up and cradled him against her chest. They went into the living room, and flicked the light on to see a familiar sight of Shadow's pups all fast asleep nestled together around their mother's belly whilst Shadow had her eyes opened slightly. Her ears went down and her tail wagged slightly because she had not seen Sam in a while (and her stomach had certainly gotten a little smaller because she hadn't seen her since before she gave birth) and she also seemed excited and curious of the bundle in Sam's arms so she stood up and stepped just outside of the box whilst Sam knelt down on the floor.

"Good girl." Tom said softly as he attempted to keep the dog calm. Shadow sniffed the bundle and then nosed the baby's feet which tickled Daniel and caused him to squirm. Shadow cocked her head in confusion before she began nosing him gently and rubbing her head against the side of the bundle like a cat would often do to a human's legs when they wanted something. "I told you she's part cat, part mongrel." Tom remarked.

"Good girl Shadow!" Sam praised happily.

"She's not Shadow she's- wait, no that is Shadow." Tom corrected.

"How could you get her confused? She's by far the biggest dog in the apartment." Sam protested.

"I know she's the mum but in this household there is Tom, Sam, Daniel, Shadow, Alex, Zoe and Panda plus whatever Fletch's kids decide to call their one; there's a lot of names in this house compared to when used to be just two!"

* * *

**11pm**

All was well in the Kent family home. Sam was fast asleep recovering from the tiring birth, Daniel was fast asleep with a stomach full of milk, swaddled in a blanket, and Tom was asleep too. Then in the living room, Shadow's pups had woken up for a late night feeding and were quietly suckling away making the smallest of sounds in the almost silence household with the occasional snore from Tom. But most babies were quiet in their first few days, so how long would it last?

* * *

**Coming up: How will Sam and Tom be getting on just one week after their son's birth?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Friday 18th September 2016, 7:30am**

Tom laid in bed, in just his boxers with Daniel, who was just over a week old, curled up on Tom's chest in a blue sleep suit with his knees and head tucked under his body. The baby was fast asleep with a stomach full of milk after being fed just half an hour ago, and Sam had fallen asleep once more took but she began to stir.

"He hasn't actually slept in his cot once since he was born." Sam croaked as she rubbed her eyes. Every night had been spent in he he bedside sleeper that Fletch had bought over for them or Daniel had had a nap in Sam's arms or on Tom's chest so he hadn't rested in his cot - he had only been put there when Sam or Tom were getting changed and needed to do something so they put him in there to keep him safe. He had also spent a night or two sleeping in Sam and Tom's bed, right in the middle between the both of them as he laid on their firm mattress to keep him comfortable because in the bedside sleeper, Daniel could only be besides _one_ of his parents whereas in the bed, he could be next to both for the several times that he woke in the night.

"Good morning." Tom greeted. "What's the plan for today then?" He asked curiously.

"Um... Seeing as his umbilical cord fell off yesterday and this little man was more than unhappy with having his first bath, do you want to try taking him in the shower with you?" Sam suggested. "I know you've been feeling a little left out because I'm always feeding him." She commented. "But if you go for a shower with him, I can express some milk for the first time for him and then you can try bottle feeding him."

"Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks." Tom smiled as he leant down and pecked Sam on the forehead.

"And then we need to go shopping so we can take him in his carrier and put that on the trolley, then we could maybe take him for a walk in his pushchair in the park with Shadow. But before all of that, I need to go for a shower." Sam said sternly.

"I'm not gonna argue there." Tom quipped.

"Oi!"

"What? Ever since yesterday I still keep on getting a whiff every now and then of the sweet smell of baby vomit." Tom remarked.

"Yeah he got a bit in my hair but I just tried had rinse it out in the sink because I was in the middle of something." Sam grimaced and Tom screwed his face up in disgust.

"Right, who's going for a shower first?" Tom asked. "You or the men?" He smiled.

"I'll go and then by the time you get out with him, he'll be due a feed." Sam replied as she had a good stretch before she sat up and got out of bed.

* * *

Tom stood in the shower, with one arm underneath Daniel's bum, and the other hand placed on his upper back and neck to support his head. Tom had the shower pouring down onto his back, and so the only water that was reaching his son, was the water that was trickling over his father's shoulders and then down his chest so he wasn't getting pounded by the force of the water.

"Is this much better than the bath? Baths are horrible aren't they? I normally hate baths too, unless of course I have a bath with your mother." Tom smiled as his son as he put his hands all over his father's chest whilst he made strong eye contact with him.

"Mm because when Daddy has a bath with me, he takes up all of the room." Sam retorted as she came into the bathroom that was no longer steamy after Sam's hot shower, because Tom only had the water at lukewarm so that he didn't burn his son. She had her bra and underwear on but she was keeping her black towel wrapped around her post-baby body.

"Do you mind? We're having a good father-son chat here." Tom joked as both he and his child were completely naked in the transparent shower cabinet.

"I'm brushing my teeth Thomas." Sam quipped before she put the toothbrush and toothpaste into her mouth and began the process. Soon, she spat it out and rinsed her mouth and the sink out before she used the mouthwash. "Remind me that when we move out of here, we need to get somewhere with two bathrooms." Sam added.

"We could be all romantic and get one of those bathrooms with two sinks so that we could brush our teeth in unison." Tom joked.

"We already do that at night, we just use the same sink." Sam retorted as she left the room.

* * *

"Here, I'll get him dressed while you get some clothes on too." Sam said as she carefully took Daniel go was grasped in a hooded towel off of Tom who also only had a towel on, but it was around his waist. Sam put a nappy on Daniel, then put a blue and white striped sleepsuit on him and a matching hat. She had her wet hair up in a bun with black tracksuit bottoms and a dark blue hoodie because she still looked around 5 months pregnant with a rounded belly at just one week postpartum.

"Your son just peed on me in the shower." Tom moaned as he pulled on jeans and a tshirt.

"Well at least it wasn't once you were dressed." Sam retorted. "Right, are you gonna let daddy feed you this morning?" Sam cooed as she picked up Daniel in one arm and a small bottle of expressed milk in the other. Tom grinned as he sat on the bed with a pillow on his lap, and Sam laid their baby on it. Sam slowly and slightly painfully, squatted down in front of him, and then she helped him to get Daniel to suck the bottle's teat which took a couple of attempts, before she got up so that she could continue drying her thick hair.

Tom smiled as he fed his child for the first time. Their little boy obviously knew there was a difference between the bottles teat and his mother's nipple which confused him, but the milk tasted exactly the same which was what was important to him.

"You can wear this too." Sam teased as she put a chain of nursing beads, that she had been given by Robyn, around his neck. They were brightly coloured and once Tom had them around their neck, Daniel waved his arm upwards to the stimulating coloured beads and grasped them in his fist as he continued to feed.

"I still don't see why you won't wear these." Tom commented.

"Because he's got a heavier arm than you think." Sam retorted and Tom appeared confused until a couple of seconds later when Daniel pulled down on the necklace and it tugged on Tom's neck. "Imagine that tugging on the back of your neck, about 10 times a day for half an hour at a time." Sam said.

"Okay, now I understand." Tom nodded.

* * *

Tom had just secured Daniel's carrier to the top of the suitable family trolley as the Kent family entered the Tesco supermarket. Tom was in a grey wool jumper and jeans, whilst Sam had changed into a pair of maternity skinny jeans that she had worn at 5 months gestation, as well as a flowing white shirt and a blue cardigan so that nothing was tight on her bump. Daniel was fast asleep in his carrier. For now...

"Are we making this a big shop or a little shop?" Tom asked curiously as he gently pushed the trolley containing Sam's handbag into the entrance and followed Sam into the shop.

"We might as well make it a big shop while we're out." Sam stated as she pulled her long wavy hair down over one shoulder.

"I just wanna go and have a look at the children's books quickly because otherwise we're gonna be reading the same five books over and over again so I'll meet you by the baby stuff yeah?"

"Okey dokey." Sam nodded before she padded off to the back corner of the store behind the escalator and near the opticians part of the store. She felt odd because they had bought all of their baby stuff before the baby was born online an it was the first time that she had been shopping since she'd given birth (Tom had done a couple of quick shops for milk and bread whilst Sam had been napping) and she realised that she had never actually been to the baby area of her local tescos before despite the fact that she had been in the store hundreds of times before. There were three aisles designated to baby things and Sam found herself wandering up and down them, forgetting the essentials that she needed to get whilst she inspected the vast array of items there.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tom had gone down the book aisle and walked straight to the children's section which, thankfully, was a quiet part of the store and his child remained quiet. He was slowly awakening, but with his sleepy eyes, he was only making soft noises, asking where his mummy of daddy was so that he knew he wasn't alone.

"How about we get this one?" Tom suggested as he picked the thin book up and put it in the end section of the trolley which would be designated to Daniel's things. Suddenly, two children started running down the aisle screaming and chasing after each other, followed by a mother with a basket of shopping shouting at them to stop fighting and to come back at once. "Sshh, come on mummy isn't going to be very impressed if she leaves me with you fast asleep and I return with you crying is it?" Tom said softly as Daniel began to cry. "Daniel, it's okay, the noise has stopped now, hasn't it? You can get back to sleep now-" Tom was interrupted by a loud cry and Tom looked towards the end of the aisle and saw a disapproving worker and an annoyed customer looking at him before they stormed off. "Alright you win." Tom sighed as he unstrapped the boy and lifted the little bundle of blankets into his arms and he cradled him against his chest as he bounced him slightly. After a couple of minutes of soothing cooing from his father, Daniel settled down and was silenced once Tom had reached into Sam's bag and pulled out the black and white border collie.

* * *

"Sam?" She jumped with the blue sippy cup in her hand and quickly put it back on the shelf to realise that her husband was standing behind her with their son in his arms and the trolley behind him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump. Have you gotten his things?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Um, no. I was... I..."

"Busy?" Tom suggested and Sam nodded out of embarrassment. "It's alright, it's weird that we're gonna have to shop down here on a regular basis isn't it?" Tom smirked as he kept Daniel cradled in one arm and pushed the trolley with the other.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Sam admitted. "Well that, and why Daniel is chewing the mini Shadow toy." Sam added as she picked up two packs of nappies and put them in the end of the trolley next to the small pile of books that Tom had collected.

"Because he got a little bit upset by some noisy kids so I gave it to him to settle, and the next thing I knew, he was chewing it. In fact, he can't chew it, he's gumming it." Tom stated cleverly whilst Sam picked up the rest of things that they needed down the baby aisle and put them in the trolley. "Could you push the trolley please?" Tom requested as he put both arms around his precious bundle of blue.

"Sure." Sam nodded as she leant on the trolley and continued their journey around the store. "How about we get some cherry tomatoes to roast tonight and we can have them with the macaroni cheese that's in the freezer." Sam suggested as in the recent days, they had been using up the meals that they made and then froze a couple of months ago because it saved lots of time on cooking.

"Sounds good to me." Tom nodded. "I'll cook it."

"Just try not to set the house on fire please."

"I'd never cause a fire, would I?" Tom cooed at Daniel.

"Sam! Tom!" They heard squeal, and Sam rolled her eyes before she forced a smile and turned around.

"Robyn." Sam announced.

"Come on, leave them alone." Max, her stepbrother, ordered as he had obviously seen straight through Sam and Tom's fake expressions of joy to see them.

"Aw, but look at him, he's so cute!" Robyn protested as she looked down in the bundle in Tom's arms.

"Robyn quick! I think I just saw Calvin Harris! He went down that aisle there!" Max stated as he pointed across the store and Robyn squealed once more before she ran in the direction of his finger.

"Thank you." Sam smiled gratefully.

"No worries, now I'd better go and explain to her that I mistook an innocent man for a celebrity." Max smirked before he ran off after his stepsister.

"Phew." Tom said and suddenly the black and white plush toy fell out of the bundle and Daniel began stirring.

"Hey, sshh. It's alright, it's here." Sam said reassuringly as she picked the dog up and put it back on the baby's tummy. "Ugh, the front paw is all wet and soggy." Sam laughed.

"Well he can't help it if he's a bit dribbly." Tom smirked. "Right, you're going back into your carrier." Tom announced as he hoisted the young boy and laid him in the cream and black carrier on top of the trolley by the handle.

* * *

Sam was gently pushing the black and cream pushchair along the pavement in the park whilst Tom played fetch with Shadow. Finally, they had gotten Shadow to come out of the apartment and leave her puppies, whom she had had to leave behind because they were still too young and hadn't had all of their vaccines yet to go into a public place where other dogs had been. Daniel was fast asleep whilst Shadow hadn't been more energetic since before she had been heavily pregnant as she ran with such speed after the tennis ball that Tom repeatedly threw for her.

"When I go back to work next Thursday, do you want me to come home during my lunch break?" Tom suggested.

"No." Sam replied harshly as though Tom was implying that she couldn't handle looking after their son on her own, but she knew he was only being kind in case she needed some respite after looking after him for most of the day alone. "I mean, if you want to come home to see him then yes but, don't come home just to help me. I'll be fine."

"Right. Shadow, there's only so many times that chasing after a ball can be entertaining." Tom moaned as she dog dropped the gobby ball by his feet.

"She's burning off the baby fat." Sam stated. "Or should I say puppy fat?" She questioned.

"She doesn't need to burn off the fat because she's still breastfeeding four puppies." Tom said sternly. "Mind you, she does eat for Britain."

"You're one to talk!" Sam protested.

"Yeah but I'm not eating puppy food like there's no tomorrow."

"Just throw the ball for her." Sam ordered as she couldn't be bothered to argue any more. Tom huffed before he picked up the disgustingly wet ball and launched it across the park, and once again Shadow zoomed after it.

* * *

Both in their superhero onesies (which Sam was proud to fit in because it was one of the few pre-pregnancy things that she _could_ fit in), Sam and Tom spent the evening cuddled together on the sofa under a blanket whilst Daniel was fast asleep in his carrier besides the sofa.

"I need to get my hair cut soon so if I book an appointment before you return to work, you'll be okay to keep an eye on him for an hour while I go to the hairdressers won't you?"

"Of course." Tom nodded. "But bear in mind that I can't breastfeed." Tom joked.

"I'll express some and leave it in the fridge. You'll just have to warm it up in a container of warm water. Or I'll try and time the appointment so that it's in between his feeds." Sam replied.

"So have I got myself a permanent job of showering with Daniel every morning?" Tom asked curiously as he had rather enjoyed the bonding experience, though it had been difficult for him to wash himself.

"No. We'll take it in turns, I'll do tomorrow, then you the day after etc." Sam replied.

"Agreed." Tom nodded. The couple sat there in silence for a while longer when Sam finally spoke up.

"Would you mind filling up my hot water bottle please?" Sam asked quietly whilst she wrapped one arm tightly around her swollen abdomen.

"Yeah sure." Tom pecked Sam on the forehead before he got up and did as Sam had requested, before he sat back down on the sofa and handed her the object - he decided that it would be best to do what she warned, before he asked questions. "Why do you need it?" He asked softly. "You're still bleeding aren't you? You can't have started your periods already. Or have you?"

"Tom, I gave birth nine days ago. Did you seriously just ask that?" Sam huffed.

"Sorry." Tom apologised. "It just seems longer than that." He admitted.

"No, I'm sorry for snapping. I am still bleeding, and it's like period pains. It's not too bad though... It's just achy."

"You want some paracetamol?" Tom suggested as he put his arm around her waist, but Sam shook her head.

"I don't want to take it while I'm breastfeeding Daniel. Like I said, the pain isn't too bad anyway."

"Alright. Why don't you go and get comfortable in bed, and then I'll come and tuck you and Daniel in, and read you a story until you both fall asleep?"

"I don't need reading to, to fall asleep."

"Last one into bed smells!" Tom exclaimed as he jumped up, grabbed Daniel's carrier and carefully took him through to the bedroom. Sam rolled her eyes before she turned the TV off, got up, switched the lights off and then went into the bedroom. She found Tom holding Daniel in one arm, and he was pulling back the duvet on Sam's side with the other so Sam climbed into bed and got comfortable, before Tom tucked her in and then he laid Daniel in his bedside sleeper and he pulled the little boy into his blue sleeping bag to stop him from throwing his covers off in the night. "Right, let's read 'Guess how much I love you'." Tom said as he climbed into bed behind Sam who was facing her son. He put both arms around her, one holding the hot water bottle on her lower abdomen and the other holding the book in front of them so that he could read both his wife, and his son until they fell into a deep sleep...

* * *

**Coming up: Sam is exhausted after Tom's first day back at work so he takes his son to the ED the next day. Will Daniel appreciate being carried around a busy department all day in a sling?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thursday 24th September 2015**

Tom arrived home after his first day back at work, and he had his fingers crossed that he wouldn't arrive to a very stressed out Sam and a crying baby. Thankfully, as he opened the door he was met with silence. He checked the living room where the puppies were play fighting amongst each other as they had just begun to walk, but only very slowly. Shadow was licking one of them clean so Tom left them to it and checked the kitchen which was empty before he entered the bedroom and he smiled. Sam was lying on top of the duvet on her side with her arm around Daniel who was in a blue vest and his nappy, wriggling about and mouthing on the tail of the border collie toy that Sam had loosely in her hand.

"Come here mate, let's let mummy get some rest." Tom whispered as he scooped his boy up into his arms and then he pulled a blanket over his wife to keep her warm. "His about we go and cook her some dinner." Tom said softly as he held the toy dog to keep his son quiet before he walked towards the kitchen.

* * *

Tom was just switching the oven off to keep their dinner warm when he heard Sam clear his throat and he turned around to see her leaning in the doorway.

"I knew you'd like that." Sam smiled as she nodded to the blue sling that Tom was cradling his son in - the one that she had gotten him for his birthday.

"Ah hello sleepy head. You're just in time for dinner." Tom announced as he put on the oven glove and took the Pyrex dish of crispy, bubbling lasagne out of the oven and put it on top of the oven.

"Mm, you cooked dinner." Sam smiled as she sat down at the table for two where the plates had been laid out with a glass of lemonade each.

"Yep. And someone needs feeding soon." Tom stated as he served the dinner up onto the plates and then sat down with Daniel still in his sling against his chest. "So how was your day?"

"Well I'd just gotten changed this morning when your little monster needed a nappy change, and when I opened his nappy he weed all over my shirt. Then, just after I'd cleaned myself up, he puked all down my clean top. Other than that, he was a little angel." Sam shrugged sarcastically. "How was your first day back at work?"

"Pretty quiet actually."

"Really?"

"Nope. It was as chaotic as it usually is." Tom stated bluntly. "But seeing as you've put up with my little monster, as you put him, why don I run you a nice candle lit bubble bath after dinner and you can have some time to yourself while I take Daniel and Shadow out for a walk in his pushchair or something?" Tom suggested.

"I hope you don't mean you're gonna put Shadow in the pushchair." Sam remarked.

"Haha, very funny. So what d'ya say?"

"Go on then. But only if Daniel can sleep in between us tonight."

"Mrs Kent, we have a deal." Tom nodded smugly.

* * *

"Right, your steamy, bubbly bath with rose oil awaits you." Tom announced as he opened the bathroom door to find Sam waiting in her thin grey dressing gown with her hair tied up in a high bun and a towel over her arm. She walked into the room to find it lit only by small candles dotted around the room and the bath was filled up and the surface was coated with bubbles.

"Thank you." Sam smiled as she went onto her tiptoes and kissed Tom on the lips before hung her towel on the radiator to warm it up for when she got out. She was still bleeding and she couldn't use tampons because of the risk of infection, but the flow was very light so she decided that there was no harm in taking a bath. If anything, it would do her good and help her to unwind after the tiring day.

"Right, I'm gonna take Daniel and Shadow for a walk in the park so I'll see you in a bit. Just relax." Tom smiled before he closed the door leaving Sam alone. Daniel was already in his carrier that Tom just needed to secure to the buggy, before he put Shadow on her lead, grabbed her tennis ball and headed for the park.

* * *

"Sam... Sam wake up." Tom ordered and Sam opened her eyes to realise that Tom was looking down at her and she was still in the bath. The candles had been blown out and the light was switched on. She immediately covered up because she had been in the water long enough that the bubbles had dissolved leaving clear water that showed Sam's body just two weeks after she had given birth. "Come on, you're freezing, you must've fallen asleep. It's a good job I wasn't gone for very long." Tom said concernedly and it was then that Sam realised that the water was very cold. Tom had already pulled the plug out and so as she got up, he wrapped a towel around her body and embraced her into a hug as he lifted her out of the bath and rubbed his hands up and down her back to warm her up.

"Where's Daniel?" Sam croaked.

"Daniel's fine, he's still in his pushchair. We've only just got in and I called to check on you but there was no response so I opened the door and found you with your mouth a couple of millimetres away from the waterline." Tom explained bluntly. "How about I take Daniel into work tomorrow?" Tom suggested after a few moments.

"No, I can handle looking after our son." Sam argued as she pulled apart.

"I'm not saying you can't, I'm just saying that you could do with a break. Look at you, you're exhausted Sam. You're a brilliant mum, but everyone needs a bit of rest." Tom stated and he could tell by Sam's expression that she was considering it, she just needed a little more persuasion. "There's at least four bottles of your milk in the fridge so I've got enough to feed him, and I'll stay in cubicles tomorrow so he'll be perfectly safe. You can catch up on sleep and have a long weekend. The ED is always quiet - well, at it's quietest - on Friday mornings and I'll be finished before it starts to get busy. What d'ya say?" After a few moments, Sam gave a small nod before she pulled the towel around her tighter. "Come on, let's get you dressed, you must be freezing." Tom took Sam through to the bedroom after checking that Daniel was still asleep, and he got her out a grey tracksuit style onesie that he knew she'd need to keep her warm because he had agreed that Daniel would be sleeping with them that night and that meant that they couldn't use a duvet. He also grabbed her a clean bra, pair of underwear and after some hesitation about being too personal, he grabbed her a sanitary towel as well. "I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks." Sam said quietly as Tom left the room before she began getting changed.

* * *

**Friday 25th September 2014**

"Tom, am I hallucinating or are you standing there with a baby strapped to your chest?" Zoe questioned as she saw the man with a front carrier with a baby facing his father's torso that was fast asleep.

"You're hallucinating." Tom replied and Fletch stood by the nurses station and laughed. "Look, I know it's not strictly following protocol but Sam needs a break. Besides, he's the quietest baby in the world. You won't even know he's here."

"Plus, he's quite the hit with the female patients." Fletch added slyly to which Tom gave him a squint. "Not to mention some of the nurses."

"Right, what's his name?" Zoe demanded.

"Daniel Thomas Kent." Tom stated proudly.

"Well Daniel Thomas Kent, one funny smell, any noise or one negative comment from a patient and you're out." Zoe said sternly to the sleeping infant before she stormed off.

"Have you told her that you've named one of your dogs after her yet?" Fletch asked jokily.

"No and it's going to stay that way." Tom replied. "But... If it does get out, then I'd like to make it clear that Sam named Zoe Zoe, I only named one of the puppies and he's called Alex after Alex Ferguson."

"Good choice." Fletch nodded.

"So have your kids come up with a name for your pup yet?"

"I told each of the kids to come up with their two favourite names, and then we could all vote on which was their favourite. But of course, they all voted for their own suggestions and we got nowhere." Fletch explained. "I think we're just gonna end up drawing names out of a hat." He added before he picked up the next patient's file - thankfully, Tom had pleaded with Tess and the pair were allowed to work together for the day so if Tom came into any difficulty with Daniel, he had a spare pair of hands as well as back up for any particularly annoying patients.

"What've we got?" Tom asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves whilst they walked over to cubicle nine.

"Elizabeth Bell, 11 years old and she's come in after fainting at home whilst getting ready for school. She banged her head but she's had a head CT which was clear and the wound has been sutured by a triage nurse, we just need to get to the bottom as to why she fainted." Fletch explained before they opened the curtain to find a young girl with long curly brown hair with a freckled, pale face sitting cross legged on the bed with her father sitting besides her. She had a small row of neat stitches across her forehead. The girl was smiling and Fletch whispered to Tom that she hadn't stopped smiling since she'd come in.

"Hello Elizabeth, my name is Tom and I'm your doctor for today." Tom stated and the girl's smile widened as she noticed the sleeping baby in Tom's carrier against his chest.

"Is he yours?" She asked.

"Elizabeth, you shouldn't ask such personal things." The man scalded. "Sorry, I'm Dean, her father." He stated as he shook Tom's hand.

"It's alright, and yeah this is Daniel, my son." Tom replied softly. "Now I understand you fainted this morning, has this happened before?" He asked curiously.

"Once a couple of weeks ago in PE and a few more weeks before that in the shower." The girl nodded.

"Okay, and have you been feeling unwell at all in general?"

"Bit tired but that's probably because I've only just started secondary school and I have lots of work to do."

"Okay, Dean do you know if your daughter has always been this pale?" Tom asked.

"I'm not sure to be honest. I-"

"Dad only found out that I existed a couple of weeks ago and now we see each other nearly every day." Elizabeth interrupted happily.

"Okay, Fletch could you take Dean for a cup of tea please I just need to ask Elizabeth a couple of things in private." Tom requested and the man immediately looked concerned. "It's nothing to be worried about, honestly, it's just routine." Tom stated and reluctantly, the man left with Fletch, leaving just Tom, Daniel and Elizabeth in the cubicle. "Elizabeth, have you started your periods?" Tom asked softly and suddenly, the girl's smile disappeared and she became shy and her pale cheeks flushed red. "It's alright, I'm a doctor. I deal with this kind of stuff every day." Tom said reassuringly and slowly, she nodded. "Okay, I know this is very personal, but are your periods heavy?"

"I think so." She gave a small shrug. "But mum says it's okay because hers are too. Why? Am I really ill?" She asked worriedly.

"No, no sweetheart. I'll just need to do a quick test, but I think what you have is iron deficiency anaemia. It's basically a very common and treatable condition where there isn't enough iron in your blood. I'll do a blood test in a minute, and if the results say that you are anaemic, then I can give you a prescription for iron supplements and you can go home and get some rest. How does that sound?"

"Thank you Mr Tom." The girl beamed as she wrapped her arms around Tom from the side so that she didn't squash Daniel, but she still gave Tom a warm, strong hug before she leant back on the bed again.

"You're very welcome." Tom beamed. "I just wish that all of my patients could be as nice as you. You're a very polite young girl. Right, I'll go and get the equipment for your blood test."

"Is everything alright?" Dean demanded as he returned with a cup of tea.

"Dean, I think your daughter has what's called anaemia. Have you heard of it before?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, her mother had it when she was pregnant with her." Mr Bell stated.

"I thought you didn't know that she existed until a few weeks ago." Tom stated confusedly.

"I didn't, but when I did find her, her mother gave me an earful of how awful her pregnancy was and how ill she got." He stated.

"Right well, there's no need to worry. I just need to perform a quick blood test and if I'm right then she just needs to start taking iron supplements and if the problem persists, she may have to see a gynaecologist about going on the pill to lighten her periods." Tom explained and the man looked back to see his daughter who's cheeks were burning from embarrassment. "Elizabeth, there are millions of girls who are on their periods right now. It's such a common thing and there is nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?" Tom explained after getting closer to the bed so that he didn't broadcast his statement. "I'll go and get the equipment."

* * *

Tom was sitting on the sofa in the staffroom with his shoes on the floor and his feet in front of him so that his knees were up and supporting Daniel as he gave him a warmed up bottle of Sam's breast milk. He had turned the lights off to keep Daniel calm and everything was going perfectly well when Tom's phone began buzzing in his pocket. He slowly used his spare arm that wasn't holding the bottle or his son to answer the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hiya, how're you getting on?_" The familiar sound of his wife's voice smiled as she no longer sounded exhausted, but full of energy presumably after a long lie in because he had left work that morning and she had been fast asleep.

"We're fine. Daniel's just having his lunchtime feeding and he's been an angel all day." Tom replied.

_"Could you please find a way to get Zoe to wind him after his feed and see if he pukes over Zoe's work clothes_?" Sam smiled evilly.

"I don't think she'd approve of that because she's been watching me like a hawk ever since she's seen Daniel so we'd better behave."

"_Alright. You haven't been taking him near patients with anything contagious have you?" _

"Nope. All we've treated this morning is a young boy who fell out of a tree and broke his scaphoid, a teenager who I diagnosed with diabetes, a baby with a burned tongue because her formula was heated too high and a little girl who had anaemia." Tom explained. "I think Tess is a bit soft with babies because she's giving me and Fletch all the good cases this morning."

"_Well she did used to be a midwife_." Sam stated.

"Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, how has your day been? What've you gotten up to?"

"_Um... I had a nice lie in- Oi that reminds me, did you have a shower with him this morning? because it's supposed to be my turn."_ Sam moaned.

"No, I didn't have a shower with him, I thought you could have one with him tonight." Tom said reassuringly as he then realised that Sam enjoyed showers with their son just as much as he did. "Carry on." He prompted.

"_Um, I got dressed, watched a movie with some popcorn and then I went down the high street to a couple of the estate agents and got quite a few magazines so I thought we could start looking at houses... I mean we don't have to start moving yet but the process can take several months sometimes so I just thought that-"_

"Yeah yeah, no that's a good idea. We can have a chat when I get home about it. Ooh, someone's finished his milk. Daniel you wanna speak to mummy?" Tom smirked as he put the phone on speaker.

"_And what am I supposed to say_?"

"Whatever you want. Don't worry, I'm in the staffroom and it's empty." Tom stated.

"_Daniel if you puke on daddy's boss I'll give you an extra bottle of milk."_ Sam joked.

"I am not getting him to puke on Zoe!" Tom protested.

"Too right you're not." Zoe said sternly as she entered the room.

"_Hi Zoe_." Sam said awkwardly as she could hear her on the speaker phone.

"Hi Sam." Zoe replied as she grabbed a file that she had left in there earlier.

"Right, I'd better get on so I'll see you later alright?" Tom said.

"_Yep. Bye."_

"Bye." Tom put the phone in his pocket before he slipped his shoes back on and stood up with Daniel against his chest.

* * *

Sam was standing by the front door after hearing Tom's car pull up outside their apartment, and she was eager to see her child - it was the longest time she'd spent without him since he had been born.

"Where's Daniel's mummy?" Tom teased as he opened the front door and immediately, Sam scooped her son out of Tom's arms and gave him a big cuddle. Tom smiled as he had brought Daniel in from the car by hand rather than bringing him in in his carrier because he knew that Sam would want a hug.

"He's got his 'I've just been woken up and I'm grumpy' face on." Sam laughed softly.

"He missed you _really_." Tom chuckled. "Did you miss me?"

"Hmm. Let me think about that... Maybe a little bit." Sam admitted sheepishly.

"What's for dinner?" Tom asked curiously as he hung his coat up.

"Oh so just because I've been at home all day, you expect me to have dinner sorted?" Sam raised her eyebrows.

"No. Of course not..." Tom said innocently.

"Nah, I'm only joking. We've got chicken, noodle and black bean stir fry and there's a pack of prawn crackers in the kitchen." Sam stated. "Ooh I missed you so much!" Sam squealed as she hugged her son once more.

"I think he missed your breasts." Tom stated jokily and Sam looked down to see that both of his hands were one one of Sam's breasts and he was sucking his own lips - a sign that he was hungry and wanted feeding. "You go and feed him, I'll finish dinner off." Tom said as he opened the baby gate on the living room that was keeping the puppies in there and Sam went in before she sat on the sofa, put a pillow on her lap and laid Daniel on it. Shadow had been curious of Daniel since his arrival and the puppies who were once again play fighting in their box were deemed safe to be left alone so Shadow went and sat next to Sam on the sofa. Sam unbuttoned the top of her shirt, unclipped her nursing bra and pulled both aside before she latched Daniel on - she had perfected the technique to look like a natural over the past two weeks, before she kept one arm supporting Daniel's head against her chest and used the other hand to gently stroke Shadow on the head.

Tom had been keeping an eye on them so once Sam had finished feeding and just sat there with her sleepy son on her lap, Tom served up dinner and sat next to Shadow on the sofa. They both had their dinner, looked at the estate agent magazines and discussed moving into their first house before they went to bed.

* * *

**Coming up: How will Sam react when Fletch and his kids come to collect one of Shadow's puppies?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Friday 13th November 2015, 7am**

Finally at 10 weeks old, Daniel had fallen into a sleep routine that he was actually happy to stick to. He was definitely an early riser rather than a night owl so he was up at 5am every morning so Tom could spend some time with him before he went to work. Then he would have a morning nap from 10am-11:30am, then an afternoon nap at 2pm-4pm. And then he would go to bed at 8pm, wake at midnight for a feed, and then sleep until 5am where the cycle began all over again. It had been Tom's turn to take Daniel in the shower with him and he had just stepped out to find Sam pulling her dressing gown on.

"Morning." He smiled.

"You want me to dress him?" Sam asked as she smiled at her son who was getting bigger by the day and he was wrapped in a hooded towel against his father's torso whilst he stood with a towel around his waist.

"Yeah sure, thanks." Sam took Daniel off of Tom and then laid him down on the changing table.

"You're getting heavy aren't you?"

"Try telling me that after you've held him for fifteen minutes in the shower." Tom retorted as he begins getting ready for work. "Well today's that day that Shadow looses one of her little boys." Tom stated. "You're not gonna cry are you?"

"No, why would I? We're still gonna see him all the time because we can meet Fletch and the kids down in the park with him. Especially when Daniel gets old enough to walk about and play in the play area." Sam stated as she laid a clean nappy underneath her son. "Ooh, you've got a little bit of nappy rash haven't you?" Sam said concernedly as she lifted her baby's legs slightly to inspect the reddened skin.

"He had a wet and dirty nappy a couple of minutes before I took him into the shower so you're probably safe to leave him out of a nappy for a while to air his skin out a bit." Tom suggested. "Just keep a towel underneath him in case something does happen."

"He loves being free." Sam smirked. "It's just whenever you take his nappy off, he tends to suddenly start weeing."

"Kind of like you then." Tom remarked.

"What?" Sam asked confusedly.

"Your incontinence pads. You always seem to leak whenever you forget to put one on." Tom stated bluntly as both of them always joked about Sam's weak pelvic floor muscles but Tom knew where the line was and he'd never tell anyone about it - it was only between those two.

"Hey, I haven't leaked for at least 7 minutes." Sam argued playfully.

"Well you wouldn't have those problems if you did your-"

"If you say pelvic floor muscle exercises, I _will_ hit you where the sun don't shine." Sam threatened. "Besides, you never know when I do leak anyway." Sam argued.

"Yeah? You think I don't notice when you bend down to pick something up and then when you quickly go off, shut the bedroom door behind you and come out a couple of minutes later in a different pair of trousers?" Tom joked.

"Bless you." Sam said after her naked son sneezed.

"Well at least we know that he can sneeze without leaking." Tom quipped.

"Not funny!" Sam protested as she threw a pillow at Tom who just laughed in response. "Tom look! Come here!" Sam ordered as she looked down at the changing table.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"In being serious, look he's smiling. It's his first proper smile." Sam announced and Tom climbed across the bed in his boxers and shirt to stand next to his wife and see Daniel giving them a gummy smile after he had heard both of their parents laughing.

"Good boy Daniel, you're laughing about mummy's wee wee problem just like daddy does." Tom praised and Sam glared at him as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Oi, and he keeps on playing with his genitals just like his dad." Sam retorted as she pulled the infant's hand away.

"Theres nothing wrong with scratching your balls." Tom joked. "Right, I'd better get ready or I'm gonna be late." Tom stated.

* * *

Tom had just left for work and so Sam decided to do one of Daniel's favourite activites: feeling different materials and seeing what noises they made. Sam sat cross legged on the rug in the living room with Daniel in a blue onesie sitting in her lap, leaning against her abdomen as Sam got materials one by one. He couldn't hold his own head up yet so sam had his back and head against her stomach to keep them upright and supported. First she she grabbed a square of foil from the pile, which she let Daniel feel in his fingers before she crinkled the aluminium and let him feel the ball that it had created. Sam was careful before she knew he was prone to putting things in his mouth, but she let him turn the object in his tiny fingers for a minute before he was clearly bored of it and dropped it.

"How about this one? You hate this don't you. Don't worry, mummy hates the feel cotton wool as well." Sam said softly as she let her son have one touch of it before he pulled his hand away and clenched his fists. Sam then moved on to a small square of soft silk. "Wow, you must like this one. You haven't thrown it away after a minute." Sam said encouragingly as Daniel was content with running the material through his fingers for quite a while before he dropped that one too. Sam continued playing with her son but she couldn't help but stop glancing at the male puppy that Fletch and his children were coming to take away that night. At 10 weeks old, the puppies were the size of a small Jack Russell and they were getting bigger and more active every day. Despite Sam trying not to get too attached to the puppy that she knew she would be losing, she couldn't help but feel a little sad for Shadow who would be losing one of her pups.

* * *

**4pm**

Sam was sitting on the sofa with Daniel who had just woken from his afternoon nap as he suckled her breast for milk when the doorbell rang. Sam frowned because Fletch was not meant to be coming until 6pm and Tom was not yet home from work to help Sam deal with the puppies because she knew how rambunctious they could be. Slowly, Sam ensured that the muslin cloth that she used for leaks was covering the majority of her breast that Daniel wasn't already covering before she got up and looked out of the small peephole in the door to see Fletch standing with his four kids. Mikey, Evie, Ella and their youngest at almost two years old, Noah. Sam rolled her eyes because she didn't have Tom's help to deal with Daniel, Shadow - who was still less than two years old and was quite hyperactive - the four puppies, and now Fletch and his four children, all of whom were under the age of 12.

Sam opened the door after putting on a smile to greet the family.

"Sorry we're early, Nat's out with her friends and they were driving me mad at home, so I was hoping we could come over a little bit earlier." Fletch explained and all of the kids looked so excited that there was no way that Sam could turn them down.

"Yeah no, that's fine. They're all through there." Sam stated as she nodded to the doorway with the baby that that was open and the three oldest kids quickly went through to the living room though Noah wasn't very stable at walking yet so Fletch picked him up.

"Sorry, I didn't know you'd be feeding." Fletch apologised again as he closed the front door behind him.

"No it's fine, he'll only be another couple of minutes anyway." Sam shrugged. "Um, can you just watch your kids with the puppies while I go and sort Daniel out please?" Sam requested. "But tell them to be careful, Shadow can be very protective when she wants to be." Sam warned.

"Yeah sure take all the time you need." Fletch nodded to Sam went through to her bedroom.

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam came in with her top buttoned up and she laid Daniel down on his back on his jungle themed play gym in the corner of the living room so that she could keep an eye on him. Thankfully, the three eldest children were all sitting around the whelping box and gently stroking the puppies and Shadow whilst Fletch was sat cross legged with Noah in his lap, facing the box too.

"Right, have you come up with a name for him then?" Sam asked.

"He's called Max." Mikey announced.

"Right. Well if I put Max over here, you can say hello to him without his mother fussing over him." Sam said as she lifted the black and white border collie puppy up and put him in the middle of the carpet. Of course the kids jumped up and then surrounded the pup who was perfectly happy with them making a fuss of him. "Right, Fletch do you want to come here for a minute." Sam asked as she sat on the sofa so Fletch told Evie to keep an eye on Noah whilst he sat next to Sam on the sofa. "These are all of his documents about his birth, his vaccinations and everything else. Now, Max can't go to a park yet because he had his final vaccination yesterday, and you need to wait 2 weeks until you can take him out of your house but as long as you haven't had an unvaccinated dog in your garden for a year you can let him out there." Sam explained as she handed him a folder. "Then, there's his basic supplies. He's got his collar on, but there's a lead in there, his food and water bowl, a brush, a new toy, tennis ball, dog shampoo and his first months worth of food in there as well as the instructions for his feeding amounts."

"You sound like a proper breeder." Fletch smiled as he gratefully accepted the bag of items too. "Sam, thank you so much for this. The kids are so excited and there's no way we would've been able to afford a dog of this standard anytime soon."

"Well I'm just glad she's going to a good home." Sam replied as she looked at the kids playing with the newest member of their family. "Oh, speaking of money I've paid for his first year of insurance too." Sam stated. "And once that runs out, unless he has any health problems, which I doubt he will, you needn't bother continuing with the pet insurance because we haven't got any for Shadow and even when she was pregnant, we just had to pay for the one X-ray to see how many puppies she was having."

"You shouldn't have."

"Well, I did." Sam smirked. "And as for neutering. It's really up to you. I mean, we didn't get Shadow done because we thought of the health benefits and we certainly won't be letting her get pregnant again anytime soon. And we're not gonna get Zoe, Alex or Panda neutered either."

"I still can't get over the fact that you named one of your dogs after your boss." Fletch laughed.

"What? Zoe is stubborn because she never let's go of the chew toy and she's bossy because she thinks she's in charge of the others. And so is our boss." Sam protested playfully.

"Sam, your baby is getting upset." Evie stated and Sam had been too busy talking with Fletch to notice that Daniel had rolled over onto his tummy which he was quite good at, but he wasn't yet strong enough to roll back over.

"Thanks Evie." Sam smiled do as she got up, picked Daniel up and then sat him on her lap as she got back on the sofa again.

"So, how is my little godchild then?" Fletch asked as he tickled the infant with reddened cheeks under the chin to cheer him up.

"Honestly? He is one of the best things that's ever happened to me, aside from Tom of course." Sam admitted before she pecked her son on the forehead. He had recently had his first hair cut so his golden brown hair curly was just an inch long. "I can't believe that before I got married, I'd always had my heart set that I wasn't going to have kids because I didn't think I'd enjoy being a mum. But now I can't imagine life without him." Sam smiled as she put her hands around his belly.

"Who are you? And what have you done with Sam Kent?" Fletch joked. "Tom really loves you. Y'know that?"

"Well I should hope so considering we're married." Sam retorted.

"Yeah but what I mean is that there's marriage, and there's true love. All Tom talks about at work is you and Daniel, and how proud he is of you and how much he enjoyed the fact that you let him deliver his own son in his own home." Fletch explained.

"Really?"

"Really." Fletch nodded and Sam smiled to herself. "Right, do you want me to send the kids out to the car so that you can say goodbye to Max then?"

"I don't need to say goodbye to Max." Sam protested. "What is it with you lot? Tom said this morning that he thought I was gonna cry when you took Max."

"Well I know how much Shadow means to you, I just presumed that you'd love him just as much."

"Yeah but I've know since they were born that we'd be losing Max so I didn't let myself get too attached and it worked, I'm fine."

* * *

Sam and Tom were sitting next to each other on the sofa watching the evening news after having dinner, whilst Sam's fingers kept on running over something in her pocket of her hoodie. It had gone past 8pm so Daniel was fast asleep in his bedside sleeper and was going to be asleep until midnight when he would wake up for a feed.

"Tom... I want to thank you for being so patient with me. Because I know we haven't actually had sex since before he was born."

"Hey, it's alright. Your body has been through a lot, and I can understand why intercourse isn't one of your top priorities at the moment." Tom said reassuringly. "I don't mind waiting until you're happy to do something like that."

"No, you don't understand. What I'm trying to say is... I'm ready." Sam stated. "I _am_ ready, Tom."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But don't get me wrong, I want you to be gentle, really gentle at first because I don't know if it's gonna hurt or not." Sam admitted timidly

"Of course, I understand. Just say stop whenever you want and we can stop. No questions asked."

"And I don't want it to be in the bedroom with Daniel there."

"Well where do you want to do it then?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Well we're here now." Sam stated as she put one hand on the sofa. "And I've got this." She added as she took the square foil packet out of her pocket that she had been running through her fingers ever since they had put Daniel to bed that night, she just didn't know how to bring it up.

"Well then..." Tom smirked as he laid back on the gap on the three seater sofa behind him. "Come on, get on top. Then you can control what happens." Tom said kindly as he pulled her on top of his torso and they began kissing passionately so that they would take it nice and slow, as they made love for the first time in ten weeks.

* * *

**Coming up: Daniel has an eventful first Christmas which results in Tom having a bloody nose.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thursday 24th December 2015**

It was Daniel's first Christmas Eve and at 15 weeks old, the little boy couldn't go a day without giggling which always pleased his parents. Sam and Tom had finally gotten around to getting a christmas tree, but they didn't fancy cleaning up all of the pins from a real fir so they had gotten a fake christmas tree that stood in the corner of their living room where Shadow's whelping box used to bed - the puppies who were the same age as Daniel now slept apart from their mother, ranging from the living room floor to the foot of Sam and Tom's bed. Tom was decorating the tree whilst they had Christmas music playing in the background and Sam was sitting on the floor, cross legged with Daniel in her lap as he felt the different decorations.

"He definitely likes tinsel." Sam smiled as Daniel waved it about in the air in his fist.

"Rockin' around the christmas tree-"

"Please stop singing or you're gonna make him cry." Sam moaned.

"Why? I've got a beautiful singing voice." Tom protested jokily.

"This time last year, on Christmas Eve, I was taking two pregnancy tests and I was four weeks pregnant with this little rascal." Sam smiled at the memory that she would cherish forever.

"And then you gave me the two white sticks that I remember had a purple end in a little yellow box on christmas morning that you said was a last minute present." Tom stated. "You're not gonna do the same again tomorrow morning are you?" He joked.

"Nope. Definitely not." Sam hand sternly. "By the way the estate agents emailed me this morning, they've set a date for the move; Saturday 5th March."

"Oh right. So we've got just over two months to sort everything out. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time."

"Mm. I'm just worried that it might unsettle Daniel." Sam admitted. "With me returning to work on the 4th of January, and Daniel will have to start going to the crèche. I don't know if it might cause some problems."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides, maybe moving could be the perfect time for us to move him into his own bedroom."

"But he'll only be six months old." Sam protested.

"So? Sam loads of parents move their kids out within weeks of them being born." Tom stated but he had a feeling that Sam wasn't concerned for their son, she was just concerned that she wouldn't get to have Daniel sleep in their bed like he did two or three times a week when he was being a little bit fussy or restless. "Alright, he can sleep in our room still. But maybe it would be best if we move him out of his bedside sleeper and into his cot because he's getting a little bit too big for that now, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." Sam mumbled.

"Come on, Daniel's got to put the star on the tree." Tom smiled as he put his hand out and he helped Sam to her feet before they looked at the green tree that was decorated with silver baubles and tinsel.

"You lift him, I'll guide his hands." Sam said as she handed Daniel over to his father, and then Tom held Daniel under his arms and hoisted him to the top of the tree. "Daniel, you want to hold this? You like sparkly things don't you?" Sam cooed and Daniel's mouth fell open as he saw the big silver star covered in glitter that shone in the light. He reached his hands out and touched it while Sam lowered it onto the top of the tree. "Now let go, let go. Good boy." Sam praised before Tom lowered the infant and held him against his chest

"Beautiful." Tom exclaimed as the family looked at the glistening tree. Sam bent down to switch the lights on, but once she had done so, she didn't stand up.

"Crap." She muttered.

"What?" Tom asked worriedly but when he looked down and saw her on the floor, he knew what was wrong. And his thoughts were confirmed when a single drip came from between her legs out of her leggings and fell onto the cream coloured carpet. "Come on, I'll give you a hand." Tom said as he balanced Daniel on his hip and he pulled Sam up to her feet. She then mumbled a thanks before she went to the bedroom, followed by the bathroom.

* * *

**Friday 25th December 2015**

As agreed, Sam and Tom were sharing a shower on Christmas morning, and Daniel - who was being held against Sam's chest - was very happy at sharing a shower with the two most important people in his life. It was only 6am, but they were used to early mornings because of their son, and they had agreed that they were going to get washed and dressed before they went and opened their presents - none of which could be hidden under the tree because they had three mischievous puppies in the home and they weren't to be trusted.

"You always moan that he wees on you in the shower but he's never once done that to me." Sam stated. They had taken turns in showering the infant every morning since his umbilical cord had fallen off because the young boy strongly detested baths (well he had done when he was a week old, they hadn't tried him in a bath since because they enjoyed showering with him so much.)

"Maybe you just don't notice." Tom shrugged.

"Can you hold him now? My arms are getting achy."

"Yeah sure." Tom smiled as they carefully exchanged the slippery baby and then he held his son against his chest. "Don't you think it's amazing that ever since he's been born, all he's consumed has been your breast milk, and even since your egg was fertilised with my sperm, he's been taking nutrients from your body. So for over a year, all of his nutrition has been coming from you."

"Mm, and I'm definitely feeling it." Sam admitted tiredly.

"Well you don't look it. You look almost exactly the same before you were pregnant except your nipples are darker, your breasts are bigger and you've got a couple of stretch marks on your hips. Your stomach is as flat as it used to be and you only gave birth 14 weeks ago."

"At my heaviest when I was overdue, I was 29 pounds more than usual. And now I've still got a couple of pounds left to lose." Sam said ashamedly as though it was her fault that she had not yet gotten back to her pre-pregnancy weight.

"Sam, you don't need to lose any more weight. You're beautiful just the way you are." Tom said reassuringly. "Besides, you're exclusively breastfeeding so I bet that you've got about two or three extra pounds of breast milk and fat stores in your breasts to feed our son. And that is weight that you need to maintain, not lose." Tom said sternly.

* * *

Daniel was laying in his play gym as he batted his fists at the toys dangling above him whilst Sam and Tom sat on the carpet and they had just finished opening the few presents that they had gotten each other.

"What are we going to do for the rest of the day then?" Tom asked seductivley as he pinned Sam down on the carpet and rolled on top of her.

"I'm not really in the mood for that. Sorry." Sam admitted slowly.

"In the mood for what? I haven't suggested anything yet." Tom winked as he did a 180° turn so that Sam was on top of him and he was on the carpet. "How about we wrap our little man up in plenty of layers, and then we can take him, Shadow and the pups to the park for a nice gentle walk in the park like we did last year?"

"Sounds good to me." Sam nodded before she snuggled her face into Tom's chest.

"You know you're gonna have to get up for us to go." Tom chuckled as he stroked Sam's hair.

"Mm. Oh and I've got to feed him before we go." Sam announced as she got up and collected her son who was quite happily entertaining himself in his play gym. Tom remained sitting on the floor as he watched Sam curl up in the corner of the sofa before she began breastfeeding her son.

"You really look so beautiful when you breastfeed. You've got such a strong bond with him already." Tom said softly.

"You've bonded with him too." Sam protested.

"Yeah but all he thinks I'm good for is changing nappies."

"And taking him for walks, and reading stories to him every night, and holding him in the shower every other day and there's loads more. Tom he loves you, and he already knows that your special. His face lights up when you walk into a room and he doesn't giggle for just anyone. Just because I'm feeding him, doesn't mean he loves me any more than he does you. Besides, you should've told me that you felt that way. I'll start expressing more so you can feed him more often."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's no problem."

"Alright, thanks." Tom smiled as he got up and pecked Sam on the forehead. "I'll go and sort out some warm clothes for him. It must be freezing out there."

* * *

"When you said earlier that you weren't in the mood for sex... I mean, is there a reason for that? Are you feeling unwell? Have you started your periods again? Or are you just genuinely not in the mood for it?" Tom asked curiously as they both walked slowly around the park. Tom was pushing the cream and black pushchair whilst Sam had a bag of treats in her pocket and she was in charge of the three puppies and Shadow who were more than happy to run around on the frozen, frosty grass around their owners and play with each other rather than interact with the other dogs in the park. And Daniel was content with sleeping in his thick blue puffer jumpsuit that covered his hands and feet and he had a blue hat on, as well as having the hood up to keep him warm as his father pushed hia stroller along the pathway.

"No, I haven't started yet. But... I don't know." Sam shrugged. "I just don't think I've got the energy for it to be honest."

"Alright." Tom nodded. "Let's hope that we don't run into that massive dog again like last year." Tom joked to change the subject.

"Yeah only this time, I think Shadow's too busy protecting her own kids rather than me."

"Shadow is a lot more maternal than I thought she'd be." Tom admitted.

"Well they are her offspring. She must have some sort of knowing that they came out of her when she gave birth."

"She did, after all, eat four placentas, umbilical cords and their amniotic sacs." Tom said disgustedly.

"I didn't say it at the time but watching her do that did make me feel rather sick."

"Yeah I noticed, you turned slightly green." Tom smirked.

"Can we watch a movie tonight?" Sam requested.

"Yeah sure. We can put Daniel to bed and then lie down on the sofa together under a blanket." Tom nodded. "What do you want to watch? A Christmas film?"

"Nah, they're all boring. How about... 12 years a slave?"

"Have we got that on DVD?" Tom asked.

"You got that for me for christmas and I unwrapped it in front of you this morning!" Sam protested.

"Well I can't remember what I got you because I did it in advance, I didn't get anything last minute. Surely that's a good thing?" Tom laughed and Sam couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Suddenly, they heard a high pitched scream which was abruptly stopped and Sam and Tom both looked around the park until their eyes fell upon two men who were obviously attacking a young woman and one of them must've had his and over her mouth which was why the scream had stopped. "Stay with Daniel." Tom ordered before he sprinted as fast as he could across the grass. Sam quickly held onto the pushchair and squatted besides it so that she could see that her baby was safe and she suddenly became paranoid of the other people walking in the park. She then noticed that Shadow was herding her children until they were all standing around the pushchair and Shadow sat right next to Sam as though she was protecting her puppies, Sam and Sam's baby. Sam looked over, once her child was safe, to see that both of the men had ran off and Tom was consoling the young lady.

"Hey, sshh. Mummy's here, it's okay." Sam said softly as either the scream or the lack of movement had woken Daniel. Sam held his hand gently and cooed him back to sleep just as Tom came back over and he had a bloody nose. "What happened? Are you okay?" Sam demanded as a she grabbed a pack of tissues out of the bottom of the pram and she began cleaning Tom's face up.

"Fine." Tom muttered. "Absolute scumbags trying to take her phone and purse. Who does that on Christmas Day?" He was clearly seething about the situation but he grimaced so Sam handed him the tissue so he could wipe the worst of the blood away without causing him more pain.

"Clearly, some people have no morals." Was all Sam could think to say. "Shouldn't you go with her to the police?"

"She doesn't want to go to the police." Tom stated. "She said she doesn't live around here and she was already late to go to her parents' place for christmas lunch but I gave her my number just in case she changes her mind and needs a witness." He explained. "How am I looking?" Tom questioned.

"It doesn't look broken but it's still bleeding. Come on, let's get home so I can clean it up properly." Sam ordered as she grabbed the four leads out of the bottom of the pram and sorted the dogs out. Thankfully, Shadow was well behaved and could easily be walked alongside the pram without pulling, and her puppies seemed to have gotten the message and followed in a straight line too as they made the journey home after a, once again, eventful Christmas Day walk.

* * *

"This brings back memories." Sam smirked as she was wiping the blood away from Tom's nose whilst he sat at the kitchen table.

"Oh yeah, the festival." Tom nodded.

"Keep still." Sam ordered as she held his chin steady with one hand and held an antiseptic wipe in the other to get rid of the congealed blood.

"I'm still waiting for the 'you shouldn't have done that' speech." Tom stated as Sam had been giving him a stern look since he returned from the incident.

"I would. But at the same time, if we didn't have Daniel or the dogs to worry about, I probably would've ran over too so I'd be hypocritical if I told you what you did was wrong." Sam replied. "Have you got a headache? Any blurred vision?"

"I'm not concussed." Tom stated bluntly.

"Any nausea?"

"Nope."

"Would you like some paracetamol?" Sam offered.

"Nah, it was only a scratch." Tom joked.

"You had a nose bleed for ten minutes." Sam argued sternly.

"Well thank you Dr Kent but all I need to feel better is a nice peck on the lips." Tom grinned. Sam smiled before she leant in and gave him a more passionate kiss and Tom pulled her onto his lap with her legs straddled around her waist but as she landed on his lap she pulled away and looked down at her light blue skinny jeans to inspect the damage. "Did you leak?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, but for once I remembered to put a pad on." Sam quipped before she leant in, began snogging once more and wrapped her hands around his neck.

* * *

After a long day, Sam and Tom were spooning on the sofa, watching 12 years a slave in the dark living room whilst their son slept away in his bedside sleeper in their bedroom. They had a baby monitor bedsides them, but they heard little more than the occasional babble that he made in his sleep.

"How's your nose?" Sam asked curiously.

"Fine... I know it's probably the last thing on your mind right now," Tom began, "but what are you thoughts on having another child? I don't mean like soon but I just want to know if you'd be happy to have another baby."

"Definitely not for a couple of years yet, but yeah. I think I want another baby." Sam said quietly.

"And another one after that?" Tom questioned.

"That's pushing it." Sam said sternly. "Ask me once I've had the second one and I'll have a better idea." She added before she stifled a yawn.

"You wanna go to bed?" Tom asked quietly as he tucked a bit of hair behind Sam's ear to see her face.

"I want to sleep here but I know I can't because of Daniel." Sam stated sleepily.

"Come on, last one into bed smells!" Tom said excitedly but Sam didn't move an inch and he couldn't move because she was in front of him.

"I'm not a two year old."

"Oh right, so you're too old to be carried to bed then?" Tom questioned.

"I'm never too old for that." Sam smiled as she turned to face him.

"Come on then mummy." Tom smirked as he pulled her onto his lap and then he heaved her bridal style against his chest as he carried her to the bedroom. "I don't know if you're aware, but you're a little bit heavier than Daniel is." Tom stated as he slowly lowered Sam onto his side of bed and then she shuffled across so that she was lying next to Daniel's bedside sleeper. "Er hang on." Tom protested as Sam carefully lifted her sleeping son up.

"What? It's his first christmas, he can sleep with us, can't he?" Sam asked as she fluttered her eyelids at Tom whilst he climbed into bed.

"Go on then." Tom chuckled as he faced his wife and Sam laid their son in between them on the mattress.

"It's so weird, it seems like yesterday I was watching you throw snowballs at Shadow and then I was hugging Shadow in bed and you was hugging me. But that was just last Christmas." Sam stated quietly as their son awoke at the moment but he was wide eyed and gave a gummy smile at his parent. Daniel amused both of them for a couple of minutes whilst he made strange noises, before the 15 week old baby rolled onto his side and put his hands on one of Sam's breasts. "You hungry?" Sam asked.

"Yeah I am actually." Tom admitted and Sam rolled her eyes at Tom before she peeled Daniel's hands off of her and she unzipped her onesie and then unclipped her nursing bra. "I'm gonna something to eat, you want anything?" Tom asked as he slowly sat up.

"Just a bottle of water please." Sam requested.

"Fine, more cake for me." Tom grinned.

"Tom it's eleven o'clock at night!" Sam protested.

"Thank you but I didn't ask for the time." Tom joked from the kitchen. Sam didn't usually need to help Daniel to latch on anymore as he was perfectly capable of grabbing what was in front of him and then suckling to get his milk. Sam laid on her side with her hand supporting her head whilst Daniel made small swallowing sounds until Tom returned with his mouth stuffed with cake and a bottle of water in his hand. He gently got into bed and gave Sam her drink before he rested his hand on Daniel's side so that he knew his daddy was right behind him.

"Do you think I'm a bad mum for going back to work so early?" Sam asked.

"Course not. Plenty of mums go back earlier than the 16 weeks that you've taken off. Besides, he's going to be in the crèche and we're both gonna see him every couple of hours during our breaks so that we can feed him." Tom said reassuringly. "You've already got a strong bond with him and he'll have to get used to a routine of me and you being at work during the day so that he's ready to start school when he's four or five."

"Merry Christmas Tom."

"Merry Christmas." Tom replied as he leant across and pecked Sam on the forehead. Sam watched as Tom rested his head on his pillow, and soon he was asleep. She smiled at the sight of her husband whilst her son had his evening dose of milk and minutes later, she looked down to see that Daniel had finished suckling and was still latched on but he was fast asleep. Sam used her little finger to break the deal and then she decided that she was better off not winding him because then she would have to wake him up so she just laid Daniel on his back, did up her bra and onesie and settled down to go to sleep herself.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam returns to work for the first time since she went on maternity leave.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Monday 4th January 2016, 6am**

Tom's alarm went off and he smacked it to stop the infernal noise before he rolled over to notice that neither Sam nor his son were in the room with him. Tom knew that Sam was sure to be anxious - it was the day that she was returning to work and it was Daniel's first day in the hospital crèche that was thankfully only a few minutes walk from the ED as it was also on the ground floor. He could hear running water so he grabbed his towel and headed for the bathroom. The door was closed but neither had anything to hide from each other so Tom entered and saw that Sam was standing with their 17 week old son against her chest in the glass shower cabinet as the water poured down her back. Tom pulled his boxers down and slipped into the shower with his two most important people in his world.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Sam teased playfully as she turned around to face him. She had her long thick hair flowing down her back and one arm under her son's bum to support his weight.

"I thought I'd surprise you." Tom replied cheekily. "You nervous about today?" Tom asked.

"Can I stick with you today please? Just until I get back into the swing of things?" Sam asked politely.

"I'm pretty sure that Zoe won't allow two doctors working together because it'll be half the workload but on my first day back, I paired up with Fletch. Maybe you could do the same, I'm sure he'll help you fit back in." Tom stated. "What time are we going to leave then?" Tom asked curiously.

"Normally, we'll drop Daniel off at the crèche at 8:15am, but today the main carer said that we can pop by a bit earlier so that we can run them through Daniel's routine, what he likes and doesn't like and to see where he'll be looked after. So if we leave here around 7:45am then we'll get there for 8am and we'll have plenty of time." Sam explained. Her overactive mind had woken her up early that morning and so she had been planning the day through in her mind over and over again; times she would take breaks for Daniel's feedings and the route that she would take when she took Daniel for a walk in his pushchair during her lunch break.

"Everything is gonna be fine." Tom said reassuringly and that made Sam realise that her thoughts had caused her to appear worried. "And if he cries when we drop him off, that doesn't make us bad parents, it just means he needs a little reassurance that he's safe and the people in the crèche will give him that, they deal with babies all day and I'm sure they can deal with Daniel who, we know, is a very peaceful and non-fussy baby so I'm sure he'll get on fine."

* * *

**8:30am**

The staffroom was busy as every was almost ready for their shifts that begun at half eight and Tom was just catching up with what some of the nurses did at the weekend when his eyes fell upon Sam looking in her locker but after a few moments, she had still not moved.

"Sorry, excuse me for a minute." Tom pardoned as he made his way through the groggy crowd of nurses and doctors until he crept up behind Sam and found her flicking through pictures of Daniel on her phone. "It's only an hour and a half until you get to go and feed him, just get stuck in with work and time will fly by. But don't keep on looking at the clock or it'll seem like forever." Tom said wisely. All women returning after maternity leave were allowed regular breaks to express milk otherwise they would not produce as much milk as they needed to for their baby. But thankfully, Sam didn't need to express. Her son was only down the hall and so she was allowed to take regular breaks to go and actually feed her son. "Oh and luckily, we haven't had many cases of the winter vomiting bug recently, so there hasn't been an outbreak of it like last year. But if you do get given a case with contagious symptoms just pass it on yeah?"

"Tom, I did that before I even got pregnant Daniel anyway." Sam remarked.

"Oh right, that's why I always ended up with puking patients then." Tom laughed.

"Right, come on you lot. Your shifts started two minutes ago." Zoe announced as she opened the door and reluctantly, everyone padded out and began doing their duties. Thankfully, Zoe had put Sam in cubicles for the day and she had managed to be paired with Fletch too.

"How does it feel to be back?" Fletch asked cheerfully.

"Semi relieved, semi guilty." Sam shrugged.

"Trust me, Tom was exactly the same; he was glad that he didn't have to change nappies but he missed his son and he felt bad that you were at home alone with him. Come on, let's get on with this." Fletch said as he picked up the thin file on the top of the pile at reception. "Lauren Wood?" He called. They both saw a young girl turn around to see them and she hesitated before she got up and made her way to the desk. "Have you not got anyone with you?" Fletch questioned.

"No." She replied timidly.

"How old are you?" Sam asked.

"Fifteen. But my birthday is only two months away."

"You really should have someone with you darlin'." Fletch stated.

"I know but... please, I just really need to speak to a doctor." She begged.

"Okay, come with me. Fletch leave this one to me." Sam smiled before she walked the girl through to cubicles. She knew it probably wasn't anything major and she certainly wasn't going to need emergency treatment on a girl who appeared fit and well so she didn't need Fletch's help. "Take a seat on the bed for me please." Sam said as she pulled a curtain around the cubicle and the girl did so, but only on the edge. "Right Lauren, I'm a doctor and my name's Sam. What do you want to talk to me about?" Sam asked.

"Right I... I know this isn't the proper protocol or whatever for this, but..."

"It's alright, as long as what you tell me isn't life threatening, it'll be confidential between you and me." Sam said reassuringly and the girl paused before continuing.

"My GP is a family doctor and I've known him since I was little. But because he knows my mum so well and the fact that he's a man... I can't go to him because I know he'll tell my mum but I don't want my mum to find out about this, ever."

"Find out about what?"

"I'm pregnant." She said quietly. "But I've thought about it for ages and I already know I want to get rid of it, I just need your help because I don't know where else I can go to have an abortion without my family doctor finding out because he works at my nearest walk-in centre, and he does extra shifts in the local sexual health clinic so he knows everyone there too. I just don't know what else I can do."

"It's alright, calm down." Sam said as she grabbed a tissue for the emotional teenager. "Look, like you said this really isn't the right way to go about this-"

"Please help me. I've already rung up the Holby abortion clinic but I just panicked and I froze because they asked for my name and age and, I just couldn't tell them."

"How far gone are you?" Sam asked.

"Six weeks, I think." She replied.

"Right well, the first thing that I can actually do is ask for a urine sample so that I can check your hCG levels and see if they match to you being around 6 weeks. Then after that, I can give you an ultrasound to check the foetus, and then I can book you an appointment with an obstetrician who should be able to talk you through the process and they'll sort out an appointment for you." Sam explained.

"But what if the obstetrician isn't as nice as you and she-"

"Don't worry about that, I'll give you an appointment with a man who used to be _my_ obstetrician. He's really nice and I'll have a word with him, explain your situation and he can take you through your options." Sam interrupted. "But you really do need to think about what you're going to be putting yourself through and if you do have an abortion, I'm telling you now, you will feel so much better if you have your mum's support. You shouldn't have to go through something like that by yourself."

"But I can't let my mum find out about this because she hates my boyfriend. If she knew I'd been sleeping with him..." Lauren shuddered at the thought.

"Why does not your mum like your boyfriend?"

"Because he isn't as academic as I am and he wants to get an apprenticeship rather than go to college in September and she just doesn't approve of him."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you're almost 16 and you seem very mature for your age so I think your competent enough to make your own decisions without your parents." Sam stared as she sorted through an equipment trolley until she took out a thin clear plastic tube. "Right, you need to wee in this, and then I'll come and collect it in a couple of minutes. The toilets are just there through that door." Sam explained as she handed the pot to the teenager.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sam sat at the nurses station with the pot of diluted urine and a pot of dipsticks. She took one out, dipped it in the sample and then waited for a few moments before she compared the colours on the strip to the colours on the plastic tub. Sam was confused by the results before she got up and went over the the curtained cubicle and sealed herself in with the teenager once more.

"Lauren, how do you know that you're pregnant?" Sam demanded.

"What?"

"Well did you do a test? What symptoms have you had?"

"I don't need to do a test, I know my own body. I'm late, I've been feeling sick, going to the toilet more, really emotional and really tired."

"Lauren, you're not pregnant." Sam stated.

"What?"

"I've just done a test on your urine, you're not pregnant." Sam stated and Lauren's jaw hit the floor in shock as her mouth fell open.

"B-but I don't understand."

"You're probably late because you're a teenager and your periods may not be regular yet, it might just be stress. Being emotional is probably just mood swings because of fluctuating hormones, and the frequent urination and feeling sick is probably your body tricking itself into feeling that because you've made your body think that it's pregnant." Sam explained.

"So I'm definitely not pregnant?"

"Nope."

"Oh thank god!" She laughed as she jumped off of the bed and wrapped her arms around Sam. Within moments she pulled apart and apologised.

"Look, if you're not mature enough to be using contraception then you're probably not sensible enough to be having sex. And then there's the fact that legally, you're not actually allowed to have sex yet either." Sam stated sternly. "But at the end of the day, teenagers are going to have sex whether you let them or not, which is why I want you to read through a couple of things, I'll be back in one minute." Sam stated as she left and then quickly returned. "And these are free as well." Sam stated as she handed the girl a small handful of leaflets about safe sex and STIs, along with a couple of condoms from the store room.

"I'm sorry for being a bother." Lauren apologised. "But thank you for offering to help me, I wish all doctors were like you." She said sincerely before she put the things in her pockets and walked out of cubicles.

"Well she's certainly taken a shine to you." Tom stated as he came up behind his wife. "What was she in for?" He asked curiously.

"Er... Nothing, false alarm." Sam replied exasperatedly because after she had organised the appointment with her obstetrician and begging him to give her advice without parental consent, she now had to cancel everything.

"Well you've been here for almost half an hour and you haven't killed anybody yet." Tom joked halfheartedly.

"Tom, you're needed in resus." Robyn announced as she burst through the doors.

"See you later." Tom pecked Sam on the cheek before he jogged off to where he was supposed to be.

* * *

**10:05am**

Sam was sat on one of the sofas in the staffroom with her knees up to her chest and a pillow on her lap as she breastfed her son. She was wearing a white base layer under her turquoise scrubs so she had pulled the scrub top up, and pulled the base layer down on one side so that she has covered up as much as possible, whilst Daniel enjoyed his mid morning feed. Occasionally, people walked in and out of the staffroom for a hot drink or for their breaks, but after the first couple of times, Sam had gotten used to it and wasn't ashamed - after all she was only feeding her child so why should she hide away?

"Sam, Connie wants you in resus now." Lily said abruptly as she entered the room.

"We'll tell her to get someone else." Sam replied softly as she held the hand of her son to keep him settled.

"Surely you could do that another time considering there is currently a man fighting for his life in resus and Mrs Beauchamp wants you immediately." Lily argued which was when Zoe entered the room.

"Lily, don't you _dare_ make Sam make a decision like that. There is more than one doctor in this place and Sam is quite clearly busy at the moment." Zoe stated.

"But her name is on the rota and she does not have a break right now so she should be working." Lily argued.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not Lily, but I have had a baby." Sam quipped as she gestured the bundle of blue blankets in her arms.

"Exactly and legally, Sam is allowed breaks to feed her child. Not to mention that fact that even if it wasn't a legal requirement, I would let Sam have frequent breaks because it's the right thing to do for her and her baby." Zoe protested.

"Dr Chao!" They heard Connie shout and so the junior doctor quickly disappeared from the room.

"Sorry about that, she's been in a cocky mood ever since she got an A in her latest assessment." Zoe sighed as she ran herself a glass of water.

"It's alright, it's not your fault." Sam forced a smile.

"Well listen, if you want somewhere more private you can use the sofa in my office, I don't mind as long as you're happy."

"Well thanks for the offer, but I'm fine here." Sam stated.

"Right, well I'll leave you to it." Zoe said before she left the room.

* * *

Daniel was in his car seat in the back, playing with a circle mirror with protected edges whilst Tom drove his family home, including his wife after her first day back at work since she had been forced on maternity leave.

"What do you fancy for dinner?" Tom asked.

"How about... feta cheese salad with some mushroom couscous?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah sure. I'll get started on it as soon as we get in because I am starving."

"No, I'll make it."

"We'll make it together." Tom said sternly. "I would've thought that you're exhausted though." Tom exclaimed.

"Nope. In fact, in a way, I kind of prefer coming to work than spending all day with him." Sam stated. "That sounds really mean to Daniel doesn't it?"

"No, it's understandable. I mean, we love each other but we're not glued at the hip. Even if you love someone with all your heart, doesn't mean that you can't spend too much time with them."

"I suppose..."

"Why don't I run you a nice relaxing bath tonight? You can have half an hour to yourself without Daniel, and I'll read him a bedtime story or something."

"Sounds lovely."

"And try not to fall asleep this time." Tom remarked.

"That was months ago." Sam argued.

"Well you can keep the door open this time, just in case."

"Only if you don't peek."

"Hey, I'm your husband. I'm allowed to peek as much as I want." Tom protested playfully.

* * *

Sam laid in the dark bathroom that had no lights on, but the light from the living room was seeping though the open doorway and in the living room, Tom was lying on the sofa with Daniel on his chest and he was reading a story to him. Sam had her hair tied up in a high bun to stop it from getting get as she relaxed in the hot, steamy water that soothed her achy muscles, and she smiled as she listened to her husband's hushed, soft voice. It was no wonder Daniel always fell asleep within ten or fifteen minutes of him reading because Tom's bedtime voice had such a calming effect that it was almost sending Sam off to sleep.

"The End." She heard and then she heard the floor creak slightly as Tom must've been tiptoeing back to their bedroom to put Daniel in his bedside sleeper. Minutes later, Sam screwed her eyes shut because the bathroom light flicked on and the next thing she knew, Tom was kneeling besides her. "You ready to get out yet?" He asked as he rested his chin on the edge of the bath.

"Just give me a couple more minutes." Sam mumbled.

"No because in a couple of minutes, you're gonna be asleep. I can tell by the way you're blinking." Tom stated as he grabbed Sam's towel off of the radiator. "Come on, out you get." Tom ordered as he pulled the plug out and Sam groaned before she stood up and Tom engulfed her in a hug as he wrapped her warm towel around her body to dry her off before they made their way to their bedroom that was only light by a dim light so that Daniel wasn't too stimulated so that he couldn't sleep.

"We need to start packing things next weekend." Sam stated. They were moving at the beginning of March to their first family house and they wanted the move to go as smoothly as possible so that Daniel didn't get stressed by the huge change in environment. Sam got changed into her pyjamas whilst Tom got into bed.

"Yep."

"And we need to get more baby gates for the stairs and for his bedroom so that everything is Daniel-proofed when he starts walking." Sam stated.

"Daniel-proofed?" Tom laughed.

"Yeah. It's like all the chocolate in this apartment is Tom-proofed so that you can't find it."

"There is no chocolate in this apartment." Tom protested.

"See! Tom-proofing works." Sam laughed.

"You tell me where the chocolate is now, or I'll tickle you." Tom threatened.

"Don't. You know what my bladder's like and I'd rather not have to change the bed sheets now."

"Well then you can change the bed sheets while I go and get the hidden chocolate." Tom joked.

"Please don't." Sam begged.

"Alright, alright. You know I wouldn't anyway. I'm not that mean." Tom said as he shuffled up behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her abdomen. "I love you so much." He whispered into her ear before he kissed the back of her neck.

"I love you too." Sam smiled.

"Night night." Tom reached next to Sam and switched the lamp off, leaving just the pale blue, egg shaped night light on that was left on all night so that if either parent woke up, they could check on their son. And so that Sam could see what she was doing when she fed Daniel in the night.

"Night." Sam mumbled before she drifted off in the arms of her husband.

* * *

**Coming up: Fletch's daughter, Evie, needs Sam's help when her mother is out for the day and she doesn't realise that she's growing up faster than her Dad will let her. **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**

**Also, I'm going on holiday tonight (yippee!) and I'm not sure if the place I'm staying at has wifi or not so fingers crossed but if I don't then I might not be able to update every day (I'll try to go to a coffee shop or something and use their internet :))**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thankfully, the villa has wifi - albeit very slow wifi - but hopefully, I should be able to update every day this week :)**

* * *

**Sunday 10th January 2016**

Shadow had been wearing a 'stupid black nappy thing' as Tom put it, for two weeks because she was on heat and they didn't want her getting blood everywhere. However, the increase in hormones had caused Shadow to become very protective of her three puppies who were almost four months old and once Sam had tried to give the bitch a bath to clean her blood stained white fur, she had leapt out of the bath and ran into the living room before she proceeded to herd and surround her puppies into the corner where their whelping box used to be.

"Why don't you try giving a bath to _all_ of them?" Tom suggested as he chuckled on the sofa whilst he sat with Daniel bouncing on his lap. The 18 week old infant pushed down on his dad's lap when Tom held him upright and so he was building up the muscles that he would soon need to walk.

"Four border collies in one bath? I don't think so." Sam retorted as she rolled her sleeves up. "Shadow, is going for a bath once and for all. And she's gonna behave." Sam stated as she grabbed Shadow by the collar and dragged her to the bathroom. Sam managed to pull the semi-wet dog into the bath and she got the detachable shower head running once more. "Right. I know it's horrible being on your period, trust me I've had a hell of a lot more of them than you. So I know how you feel- well actually I don't because I haven't had one in over a year but-"

"Have you still not started?" Tom asked and Sam turned around whilst she remained holding Shadow in the bath tub to see that her husband was standing there balancing their son on his hip. "Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I came to see if you wanted a hand but I overheard." Tom admitted.

"Well I've been breastfeeding full time so it's not unusual that I haven't started yet. It's only been less than four months." Sam said defensively.

"No, of course not. I was just curious." Tom replied. "Y'know, he's in the early stages of teething?" He began.

"Yeah." Sam nodded as she continued to wash down Shadow.

"And you know he likes it when you or I rub our finger on his gum to apply pressure?"

"Yep."

"Do you think it's alright to let him bite a little bit on my finger?" Tom asked. "Because he clenches his gums together on my finger and it seems to relive some of the pain. Plus I know he's not biting as hard as he can so I don't think he's being aggressive."

"Well, as long as he knows when to stop and he's not hurting you, I don't see why not. But you'll have to stop him as soon as he nips you." Sam warned.

"Alright, you'd never hurt daddy would you?" Tom cooed as he tickled his son under the chin. "How is Shadow now?"

"She is hormonal." Sam retorted as she wiped the splash of water from her face with her arm before she continued to wash her hormonal dog.

* * *

** Monday 11th January 2016**

"Just stay in here, and I'll come and check on you when I can. If you need me, just give me a call okay? I'll keep my phone on me- sorry I didn't know you was in here." Fletch apologised as he walked his eleven year old daughter, Evie, into the staffroom where he found Sam breastfeeding on the sofa, but she was just pulling up her base layer and then she pulled her scrub shirt up.

"It's alright, I'm finished." Sam announced as she stood up and balanced Daniel on her hip. "How's Max getting on?" Sam asked as she tried to make conversation with her best friend's daughter.

"Fine." Evie mumbled.

"She's not feeling very well and her mum's out on a spa day with her friends so unfortunately, I've had to bring her to work rather than tuck her up in bed at home." Fletch explained as he sat his daughter down on the sofa.

"What is it? A cold?" Sam questioned sympathetically whilst she kept her distance because she definitely didn't want her son to get ill too.

"No, I think it might be an upset stomach. She hasn't had any symptoms yet except a stomach ache so we'll just have to see how it goes. There's already three nurses off at the moment so I can't take the day off." Fletch explained quietly. "Right, I'll see you in a bit alright?" He said to Evie who nodded before she took a book out of her rucksack. Fletch walked out with Sam out of the staffroom whilst she continued to gently bounce her son on her hip to keep him entertained whilst he played with the end of Sam's ponytail.

"How long has she had the stomach ache for?" Sam asked curiously once the door was shut.

"Er, she woke up in the night with it and it hasn't gone since." Fletch replied.

"Has she started her periods?"

"No."

"Do you not think maybe this is her first one?"

"No, she would've told me." Fletch protested.

"Yeah but maybe she doesn't know. Maybe she's just had the stomach ache but she hadn't started bleeding yet, in which case she wouldn't know what's happening."

"She's too young, she's only eleven."

"So? I started mine when I was nine!" Sam protested.

"Yeah I really wanted to know that." Fletch said sarcastically.

"Well, I'd better take this little man back to the crèche but make sure you listen to her if she has anything to say." Sam warned before she disappeared behind the double doors as she carried her son back to his day care.

* * *

Sam had just used the bathroom and she came out of her cubicle to wash her hands when she noticed that the cubicle besides her had been locked since she entered and was still locked when she had come out. She silently crouched down and saw the pink and white trainers that he knew belonged to Fletch's daughter so she knocked on the door.

"Evie? It's Sam. Are you alright in there? Do you want me to get your dad?"

"No, please I don't want Dad to know I just want Mum."

"You don't want your Dad to know what?" Sam queried. "Evie, have you started your period?" Sam asked softly and quietly; thankfully they were the only two females in the toilets.

"Mmhmm." Was mumbled.

"Have you got pads to use?" Sam asked.

"No... Please help me." Sam heard Evie plead in a nervous voice. She didn't know what to do because Sam had nothing in her locker, let alone anything in her pockets but suddenly Sam noticed the dispenser on the wall and thankfully, she had enough change in her pocket from the cafe to get a single sanitary pad. She then slipped it underneath the door but heard silence and she knew the girl wasn't going to do anything whilst Sam was just outside the cubicle door.

"Just open it, peel it off of the wrapper, stick it to your underwear and then stick the wings underneath to keep it in place. I'll wait outside for you, okay?" Sam said, though she expected no response so she just quietly made her way outside of the toilets and stood by the door where Fletch ran up to her.

"Is Evie in there?" Fletch demanded. "She's not in the staff room."

"Yeah."

"Is she ill?" He asked without giving Sam time to explain and she had to step in front of the worried dad to stop him from running into the toilets.

"Fletch, she really doesn't want you to know... But she _has_ started her period."

"Wh- you sure?"

"Well I haven't seen any proof but I've just had to give her a pad. When is Natalie gonna be back?"

"About 2pm."

"Well get her to come straight here when she's finished. It's not that Evie doesn't trust you but she just really needs her mum right now."

"Well she obviously trusts you with this at the moment so, I know it's a big ask but can _you_ look after her until Nat gets here? Because I don't have a clue how to deal with this." Fletch asked hesitantly as he knew that Sam wasn't the girly girl sort but he knew that having Daniel had softened her a bit.

"Yeah sure. Just go quick, before she comes out." Sam ordered.

* * *

"Right, if you stay in here then you won't have people coming in and out like the staffroom, and you can have a lie down until you feel better." Sam said as she showed Evie the oncall room and pulled back the duvet. "I'll go and get you some painkillers and a hot water bottle. Is there anything else you want?" Sam asked kindly.

"What about when I need to change it?" Evie asked timidly.

"Oh right yeah. Don't worry about that, I'll get you some more pads too. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Sam smiled before she left the room and closed the door behind her. She soon returned with a bottle of water, her own hot water bottle from her locker, a box of ibuprofen and Evie's rucksack. "Right, I've put a brand new pack of pads in your bag and you can use the ensuite whenever you want to change. I find that holding a hot water bottle on my tummy helps with period pains sometimes, and as well as that. You can take one of these tablets if you want to. Now I did have to ask your dad if it's okay for you to take this just in case you were allergic, but I said you had a headache okay?" Sam lied.

"Thank you Sam." Evie said gratefully as Sam opened the bottle of water and then popped one of the white tablets into the girl's palm.

"You're welcome. Do you want my to break it in half so it's not so big?" Sam suggested and Evie nodded so Sam did so and made sure that Evie swallowed the tablet okay, before she got up. "Right, I've got to get on with my work but if you want me, I'll either be in the staffroom feeding Daniel or around cubicles. If not, just ask your dad and he can give me a ring. I'll let you get some rest."

* * *

"Where have you been all day then? I've hardly seen you." Tom asked as he met up with Sam in the peace garden of the hospital whilst she pushed Daniel's pushchair around so that he could get some fresh air during his parent's lunch break.

"Fletch's daughter wasn't very well. I just helped him to look after her a bit." Sam replied briefly.

"And how has my son been?"

"Lucy, one of the girls in the crèche, said that he's been a bit fussy so they gave him his teething ring that has been in the fridge and he settled down pretty quickly. He's still got it now." Sam explained as they both sat down on a bench, and they faced the pushchair towards them. Daniel had his concentration face on as he gummed away at the cool plastic ring which amused his parents. He was yet to show any baby teeth but when they applied pressure on his gums to relieve some of his pain, they could feel that his teeth were very near to the surface.

"Can we go out tonight?" Sam requested.

"Depends on what you mean by out." Tom replied.

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could go to the new Toby Carvery that's just opened near the roundabout by the dual carriage way. I'm sure Daniel will be welcome there and we haven't had a proper roast dinner for a long time."

"Yeah, sure. That sounds nice." Tom agreed as he put one arm around Sam's shoulders. She was wearing her blue NHS hoodie over her scrubs to keep her warm, as was Tom. But they were still chilly in the winter winds.

"Do you think he's warm enough?" Sam asked concernedly as she tucked Daniel's blanket in tighter under his arms so that he could still use his hands to hold his teething ring.

"Yeah, he's got a nappy, a vest, a romper suit and plenty of blankets. I'm sure he's fine." Tom said reassuringly.

"You can have a couple of beers with your meal if you want; I'll drive home." Sam offered.

"Well that is an offer I can't refuse." Tom smirked before he kissed Sam on the cheek.

* * *

"Evie... Evie..." Sam whispered to wake the young girl up. She had fallen asleep in the oncall room bed because, as Fletch had said, she had woken up in the early hours of the morning with a stomach ache and she had been unable to sleep until the painkillers that Sam had given her, had kicked in. "Your mum is on the way here." Sam stated as she opened her eyes. "It's up to you, so do you want me to explain to your mum what has happened? Or do you want to tell her yourself?" Sam asked quietly as she squatted besides the bed.

"Can you tell her please?" Evie asked timidly.

"Yeah, of course I can. I'll tell her as soon as she gets here, and then I'll bring her to come and get you." Sam smiled.

* * *

"Natalie, I just need to have a quick word before I take you to get Evie." Sam stated as she stopped the woman by the hospital entrance.

"What is it? Adrian said she wasn't ill so I'm a bit confused as to why she wasn't taken to school today." Natalie admitted.

"Evie, started her period. She had cramps but obviously she didn't know what was happening and she told Fletch that she thought she had an upset stomach. Now, I've given her some ibuprofen and I got her some pads from the store room here but she's going to need some more soon. Plus she asked me not to tell Fletch, so she doesn't think that he knows, but I had to tell him so just don't tell Evie that I told him please." Sam explained to the shocked mother.

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah, the painkillers seem to have done the trick and she had a bit of a nap in the oncall room to catch up on sleep." Sam stated as she lead the woman through the building and to the room where her daughter was standing with her rucksack on her back.

"Hey, you're really growing up aren't you sweetheart?" Natalie said softly as she pulled Evie into a tight hug and then kissed the top of her head. After a couple of moments, they pulled apart and Evie turned to Sam.

"Thanks for everything." Evie smiled awkwardly before she hugged Sam who warmly accepted the grateful hug and patted her on the back.

"You're more than welcome. Just remember me and your mum have been there before, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about okay?"

"Okay." She nodded. "Can we go home now mum?"

"Yeah, of course we can. We can stop at tescos on the way home to get you some more supplies yeah? You can have a look at all the different types and see which ones you prefer." Natalie said as they headed for the door. "Thank you." She mouthed to Sam before she left the room.

* * *

Luckily, the restaurant wasn't too busy so Sam and Tom had acquired a booth that seated four. Sam sat on one side with Daniel in his carrier besides her, and Tom sat opposite her. The restaurant was similar to a pub, except there wasn't the idiotic drunks stumbling about - the atmosphere was very friendly, and so Sam and Tom felt comfortable eating their with Daniel, rather than feeling pressured to keep their infant quiet like they would in a posher restaurant. They took turns in going up to the Carvery bar, and each then had a plate filled with roasted pork with scratching, roast potatoes, a massive Yorkshire pudding and lots of vegetables, covered in gravy. Tom had a pint of beer, whilst Sam had a glass of coke to keep her refreshed.

"We've definitely got to come here again." Tom stated as he dug into his piping hot meal.

"Mm, the food's great." Sam stated. "And it's not too loud that he can't sleep, but not too noisy that everyone notices if he makes noises." Sam added.

"Oopsy daisy. Someone's dribbling again." Tom smiled as he reached over the small table and wiped the dribble off of his son's chin with a napkin.

"He's certainly taking teething pretty well isn't he?" Sam said proudly.

"Well he must have his mother's high pain threshold."

"We're moving in less than two months." Sam stated.

"You excited?"

"Kind of. I just think that we're going to be so much more relaxed with more room rather than being in our one bedroom apartment at the moment. Plus we won't have to worry about the stupid landlord anymore, and we'll have a much bigger garden to play games with our son when he grows up." Sam replied. "And we're getting a much bigger bed with a memory foam matress, and I really love our ensuite bathroom because both the shower and the bath is massive so there's enough room for me and you to share one. We're gonna have a bigger kitchen with more room in the fridge and freezer, so we can go shopping like once a week or once a fortnight because at the moment, you can't fit a weeks worth of food in our cupboards."

"And of course, Daniel gets his own room."

"Maybe. I still haven't decided whether he's going to sleep in his cot in our room yet." Sam admitted sheepishly.

* * *

"I don't know if I can eat an entire pudding." Sam admitted.

"Why don't we share one?" Tom suggested.

"Um... Yeah okay. Which one were you thinking of?"

"Well I already know which one you want." Tom stated.

"How?" Sam demanded.

"Because I know you love brownies so you'll be wanting the chocolate brownie ice cream sensation." Tom stated. "Which I am happy to share with you... As long as we can have it with marshmallows." Tom stated childishly.

"Fine with me." Sam nodded.

* * *

"Please can he have a marshmallow? They're only little." Tom pleaded as he balanced one on his long sundae spoon.

"Tom, he's 18 weeks old. He could choke and he shouldn't be having any solids until he's 6 months old." Sam stared sternly. "Besides, that marshmallow is mine." Sam quipped as she leant forward and nicked the sweet off of Tom's spoon.

"Oi!" Tom laughed.

"Here you go." Sam offered as she got a bit of ice cream on her spoon for him. Tom opened his mouths but Sam suddenly wiped the back of her spoon on the tip of his nose and coated it in white ice cream.

"Do you really want to start a food fight with me in public?" Tom questioned as Sam giggled whilst he wiped it off of his nose with a napkin.

"Pft, no. How immature do you think I am?" Sam asked innocently. Soon, after finishing their dessert, Sam and Tom too their son home and had an early night to get some well earned rest.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam is faced with an unfortunate event at work and she has to rely on Tom's help.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Wednesday 13th January 2016, 11am**

Sam had just come out of a cubicle after treating a patient when Fletch pulled her aside.

"What's up? Is it Daniel? Sam asked worriedly.

"No no, it's nothing to do with Daniel. Look, don't be embarrassed but you've leaked; there's a patch of blood on the back of your scrubs." Fletch explained.

"What?" Sam asked confusedly and innocently.

"Oh... You didn't know that you'd started, did you?" Fletch asked softly as he knew that it had only been a few months since she had given birth and she was exclusively breastfeeding.

"No I um... Do you think anyone else noticed?" Sam asked quietly as she kept her back against the wall behind her.

"I'm not sure." Fletch shrugged. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No um, but thanks. Just cover for me if Zoe asks where I am." Sam replied before she disappeared into the store room behind her. She sorted through the shelves - things had been rearranged since she had left - and she had searched the entire room when she came to the conclusion that there wasn't a single pad or tampon in there for her to use. Though it made sense; it was one of the 'less' essential items in the eyes of management - who were presumably all male - and cutbacks had meant that they were running low on everything considered inessential such as decent shower gel or shampoo because they were an ED and few of their patients used the shower compared to if they were on a ward.

But that left Sam in an awkward position. She had nothing in her locker to use because she had emptied that before she went on maternity leave so it was relatively clean with nothing but a few of Daniel's things, her handbag, clothes and NHS hoodie. Sam then decided that before the stain got any bigger she'd better do something so she made a run for it and jogged to the toilets were she found that the bleeding was much heavier than she had expected -her, thankfully black, underwear was practically soaked in blood. She put some folded up toilet roll in her underwear, washed her hands and then 'um'ed and 'ah'ed about what to do when she saw the pad and tampon dispenser but there was a bit of paper attached to it saying 'OUT OF ORDER'.

"Brilliant." She muttered.

Suddenly, Sam heard her husband's distinctive voice so she opened the bathroom door and dragged Tom into the female's toilets before she slammed the door shut.

"What on earth are you doing?" Tom demanded as he had been in the middle of a conversation with one of the porters about football.

"Tom, please. You've got to help me." Sam pleaded.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I've started but I haven't got anything and that bloody machine's not working. There's nothing in the store room." Sam explained quickly. Once Tom heard what she had to say he glanced down and saw that there was a dark red mark between her legs on her turquoise scrubs. "Can you run across the street to Boots and get some tampons for me?"

"But Zoe's already on my case this morning and I haven't got a break for another hour."

"Please Tom, it's really heavy and I can't go out like this." Sam begged and Tom noticed that her eyes were watering as they glistened in the bright toilet lights.

"Hey don't cry. It's alright, I'll go." Tom said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick hug.

"I hate hormones." Sam muttered into his chest and Tom chuckled gently at her whilst he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

* * *

Tom was just about to enter the toilets with a box of tampons wrapped up in a pair of clean scrub bottoms and some disposable underwear from the store room when he jumped at the sound of his boss's voice.

"Tom what are you doing? That's the women's loos." Zoe stated firmly.

"Er, there's a patient in there. I said I'd get her a couple of bits." Tom stated but Zoe raised her eyebrow, prompting him to tell her the truth. "Alright, fine. I just need to give these to Sam. Please, I'll be two seconds." Tom begged but as far as Zoe could see, all Tom was holding was the scrub bottoms.

"Well if she needs clean scrubs why didn't she just go to the staffroom and get them herself?" Zoe asked confusedly.

"Because I had to get her these as well." Tom admitted quietly as he pulled the scrubs apart slightly and showed her the box of tampons. "It's her first period since she's had Daniel so she didn't know it was coming. Please just let me give them to her, she'd be mortified if she knew I'd told you." Tom pleaded.

"Right, quickly." Zoe ordered and so Tom slipped into the bathroom which was empty except for one closed cubicle.

"Sam?" He questioned and she slowly opened it to ensure that it was her husband before she opened it properly. "Right, you said it was heavy so I got you these ones, but if they're not the right ones then-"

"No they're fine." Sam interrupted as she snatched the pile off of him.

"Alright well I got you a new pack of pads that I put in your locker if you want them as well to save us going out to get them tonight." Tom stated.

"Thank you." Sam went on her tiptoes and wrapped her spare arm around around his shoulders and gave him a hug.

"You're welcome. Now I'd better get out of here before someone else comes in." Tom grinned as he pecked Sam on the cheek and then walked out.

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam exited the toilets feeling much cleaner than when she went in there and she made her way to the nurses station to pick up her next case. She was just reading through the notes when she noticed that Fletch was besides her.

"About earlier... Thanks for telling me. I appreciate it." Sam said gratefully.

"No problem. You alright now?"

"Yeah. Fine thanks. Tom helped me."

"Well Zoe's being really moody today and she's annoyed with Tom because he wasn't in cubicles. This morning he was taking a patient, who only trusts him, to go to the toilet when she says that he should've asked a nurse to do that." Fletch explained.

"Well, she's been under a lot of pressure recently, I don't blame her for being snappy. This ED is going down the pan with all the bloody budget cuts." Sam grumbled. "Though it is a bit unfair that she's taking it out on Tom." She added.

* * *

The Kent Family had just got in from work and Tom took Daniel straight through to the kitchen so that he could get a drink without leaving his son unattended. He stood in the kitchen for five minutes whilst the dogs went out in the garden for a little while before he let them in. And he realised that his wife - who had been uncharacteristically quiet - had not followed him so he went through the living room and then into the bedroom with Daniel on his hip, where he found Sam crouched down next to the bed with her head hung and she was clenching the bedside table so hard that her knuckles had turned white.

"Have you taken any painkillers?" Tom asked softly as he placed Daniel in his cot to keep him occupied for a few minutes and then he knelt down besides her but she shook her head in reply.

"I'm breastfeeding... I don't want him to have to suffer because of me." Sam mumbled as she didn't even bother to raise her head to make eye contact.

"Sam, Daniel won't suffer if you take painkillers, it's safe for you to take ibuprofen and/or paracetamol and the only thing that is gonna affect him is the fact that he's going to be able to taste in your milk that you're stressed and _that_ might upset him." Tom replied. "Look, why don't you get into bed?" He suggested.

"No. It's really heavy; I've already gone through three pairs of scrubs today so I'll stain the bed and plus when I sit down, I can feel the blood coming when I stand back up; it's horrible."

"Why is it so heavy?" Tom asked concernedly. "Are your periods normally heavy?"

"Yeah but there's heavy and then there's _really_ heavy." Sam croaked. "Tom just leave me alone. There's a couple of bottles of milk in the fridge, you can feed him tonight." Sam ordered but as much as Tom enjoyed feeding his baby, he wouldn't enjoy it if he knew it was because his wife wasn't well.

"No, I'm not leaving you like this." Tom stated firmly.

"God this is worse than contractions." Sam moaned a she screwed her eyes shut. "And it's constant."

"Well then take some painkillers." Tom ordered bluntly as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. "If you take painkillers now, I can give Daniel his next two feeds by bottle and by then there won't be anything left in your bloodstream. And you can express some milk and then throw it away just in case. So if I get up and get some painkillers, will you take them?" Tom asked.

"Oh for fudge sake, yes!" Sam huffed.

A couple of minutes Tom returned to the bedroom to find Sam still in the same position. He got out a black bath towel and laid it on the mattress on Sam's side of the bed before he put her hot water bottle, painkillers and a glass of water on her bedside table.

"Come on, get into bed. And it doesn't matter if you leak anyway because we're getting a new bed when we move house." Tom said reassuringly as he helped her to get onto the bed, though she remained at a 45° angle with her chest close to her thighs because that seemed to be the most comfortable position that she could get into at that moment. He made sure that she swallowed the tablets and then placed the hot water bottle on her abdomen. "Do you want me to give you a belly rub and see if that helps?" Tom suggested.

"No, I'll see if the hot water bottle works for now. Maybe a bit later yeah?" Sam mumbled as Tom pulled the duvet up to her chin and tucked her in.

"Alright, you try and get some rest while I go and have some tummy time with Daniel. If you don't want to shout, just text me if you need me." Tom kissed Sam on the forehead before he lifted Daniel out of the cot and went into the living room.

* * *

**10pm**

Tom had been watching the TV on quiet, whilst he settled Daniel in his arms and it turned out that he could multitask because Daniel was already fast asleep. He carefully switched the TV off and walked into the bedroom where he found that Sam was already asleep but she had left the night light on for him to get Daniel safely into his cot. He then stripped down to his boxers and got into bed besides his wife. As he wrapped his arms around her, she unfortunately began to toss and turn but it turned out that she was trying to bury herself into his chest.

"Night." Sam mumbled.

"Night. You left the milk out on the side by the way, but I think made a cup of tea with it and it tasted a bit off so if I'm ill tomorrow, I blame you." Tom joked and Sam began laughing under the covers. "What's so funny?" Tom demanded.

"You told me to express milk, so I did." Sam stated sheepishly as she tried successfully not to laugh again.

"I don't under... Hang on a minute, you mean- you express milk into the milk bottle?" Tom shrieked.

"What? It was empty and I knew I'd have to express twice and I didn't want to get up again so I used it. It's only a pint sized bottle so it was just the right size." Sam explained before she laughed into Tom's chest once more.

"So I've just had a cup of tea with your breast milk in it." Tom concluded. "Lovely." He said sarcastically. "I take it your feeling better now?"

"Yeah, but it's still really heavy." Sam admitted. "Remind me to take my old prenatal vitamins in the morning; they've got iron and vitamin B12 in them and I don't want to get anaemic."

"You're not gonna get anaemic because of one heavy period Sam."

"You don't know _how_ heavy it is." Sam quipped.

"Right, just go to sleep. And if you feel worse in the night, just wake me up."

"Yeah yeah."

"Night Sam." Tom said.

"Night Tom." Sam replied sleepily.

"Night Daniel. Goodnight Daddy." Tom joked and Sam rolled her eyes before she snuggled further into Tom's chest and settled down for the night.

* * *

**Coming up: The big move finally arrives!**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Saturday 5th March 2016, 00:30am**

"Oh, you're a silly billy aren't you? If you don't like sleeping on your tummy, why do you keep on rolling over? This is the third time tonight." Sam chuckled softly as she lifted a disturbed, 6 months old Daniel up, out of his cot and she held him against her chest as she laid in bed. In the last week, he had acquired a habit of rolling over in his sleep so that he was lying on his stomach, but within minutes of doing so, he would wake up and begin crying because he wasn't very comfortable and it was a little scary because he sometimes got stuck and couldn't roll back over. It was early hours of the day that the Kent Family moved to their new home and Sam had to admit, she wasn't bothered about Daniel becoming unsettled because of rolling over, because she had been awake anyway thinking about exactly how the day would run. They had various companies delivering new furniture to the new house because they had more rooms to furnish than their one bedroom apartment, and so they needed more furniture. They also had a removals van coming to take what they were taking with them, and then they needed to go to the rubbish tip to take the furniture that they were getting rid off. They had taken Monday-Friday off of work so that they could work on their new home because they needed to paint most of the rooms and decorate the entire house. All at the same time, Sam and Tom had to look after their son who was teething and just beginning to try solid foods, and keep an eye on 4 hyperactive border collies.

It was going to be a stressful week, to say the least.

* * *

**6am**

Tom's alarm started beeping which brought him out of his slumber, and he turned over to wake his wife when he saw that she was already awake and she was lying there, half sitting up as she was propped up by pillows, with Daniel lying face down on her chest, sucking his thumb and he was fast asleep.

"Good morning." Tom croaked as he had a good stretch.

"Morning." Sam replied softly as she stroked the smooth, silky, golden brown hair that was curly just like his father's hair, but the same tone and colour of his mother's.

"Right, I shall get dressed and take the dogs out, play fetch with them in the park and wear them out for a bit if you want to take his royal highness for a shower, sound good?"

"Yeah. But try not to lose the dogs this time."

"I didn't lose them last time! Alex just decided that he wanted to have a drink from a puddle that happened to be on the other side of the park." Tom protested. "Right, let's get cracking." Tom announced as he clapped his hands together which unfortunately (and rather abruptly) woke Daniel up. "Oops." Tom whispered. Daniel pouted his bottoms lip and frowned before he looked directly into Sam's eyes and he gave a smile so both parents let out a sigh of relief.

"Hello, was you having a nice nap?" Sam cooed.

"Right, I'm gonna get going. But I'll see you two very soon." Tom said as he pecked Sam on the lips and then kissed Daniel on the cheek.

"Right, shall we go for a shower seeing as you've created a dribble patch on my pyjama top?" Sam asked.

"Ta." Daniel babbled as he put both of his hands on Sam's chest and pushed himself up a little bit. From anyone else, the action would be inappropriate but Sam knew that Daniel meant no harm. "Well done! Can you do a mini push-up?" Sam said encouragingly to praise his actions. Daniel continued to smile with only his two bottom teeth and one of his front teeth that had come through. He looked quite ridiculous but Sam just found him cute. "Right, come on. We've got to have a shower because we've got plenty to do today." Sam said firmly as she climbed out of bed with Daniel against her chest and she headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Tom are arrived home with four exhausted border collies who were panting after spending a good half an hour playing fetch, all chasing to get the same ball, so they went through to the kitchen, had a drink from their bowls and then laid down on the cold tiled floor to cool down. Tom then hung their leads up and went through to the bedroom where he found Sam drying her hair whilst she sat on the bed, and she was guarding Daniel as he very slowly and clumsily attempted to crawl towards his mother from the middle of the double bed.

"He's nearly getting the hang of crawling isn't he?" Tom smirked.

"Yep." Sam nodded as she switched the hair dryer off because her hair was almost dry, and she brushed her long, thick hair through.

"How about, I drive you, Daniel and the dogs to our new home soon? And you can bring a bag of Daniel's things to keep him occupied. Then you can be there for the first delivery, and the dogs can just play in the back garden rather than you and Daniel having to go back and forth. I can help the removals men to take our stuff, then I'll take the rest of it to the tip, and then I can come and join you." Tom suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Sam moaned as she hit herself on the head.

"Pa... Taba... Ba." Daniel babbled and he was almost there so Sam picked him up and sat him in her lap.

"He likes saying 'ah' words doesn't he?" Tom chuckled.

"Mmhmm. Right, how about, seeing as you detest eating avocado but like decorating the floor with it, we mash some ripe banana up for you to try for breakfast?" Sam suggested.

"Oh and of course that's not going to be messy at all is it?" Tom said sarcastically as he walked into the kitchen.

* * *

"Shouldn't I be carrying you over the threshold rather than you carrying Daniel?" Tom joked as he unlocked the front door to his new home with the keys that he had just collected from the estate agents. They were down a safe cul de sac and the two storey home, four bedroom with a loft and study hadn't been the first choice for Sam and Tom, but when they had spoken to the estate agents about mortgages, they realised that their high salaries, they could afford a much bigger home. And they had gotten four bedrooms because they wanted to live there for the rest of their lives, rather than have to move if Sam got pregnant again.

"I can't believe that this is finally happening."

"Well hopefully, by the end of this week you'll be tucked up in your brand new bed in our new home without a care in the world." Tom said as he opened the door to their three bedroom house.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me! This is your new house you've been telling me about?!" Fletch laughed and Sam and Tom turned around and saw that on the other side of the quiet road, Fletch was standing with Max on a lead, just coming out of the front door of the house opposite them. That was when Sam realised that she had never actually been to Fletch's house before, though she knew where he lived now.

"Don't tell me you live there." Tom laughed as Fletch came across the road where Sam and Tom's car was parked on the driveway and Sam stood with Daniel, in his white tshirt, jean dungarees and blue trainers, balanced on her hip.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Right, I'd love to chat but we've got lots to do today." Tom stated.

"I could give you a hand if you want." Fletch offered as he had to stop Max from jumping up at their car because inside the boot and back seats were Shadow, Zoe, Panda and Alex.

"Um, I think we're alright. We've got lots to do but it's main just moving stuff and I need all the room in my car that I can get to take stuff to the tip." Tom replied.

"Okay, well if you need anything just give us a shout."

"See ya." Sam waved as Fletch continued walking away with Max on his leash. The couple were just about to enter their new house when they noticed a friendly woman coming onto their driveway.

"Hi, I'm Amanda, I live next door." She greeted.

"Oh right, I'm Tom, this is my wife Sam and our little boy Daniel." Tom said as he shook her hand, Sam couldn't as she was still holding their son.

"He's adorable." She smiled. "How old is he?"

"Six months." Sam stated.

"I've got a son too, though he's five years old, Michael. And I've got a daughter who's 8, Emily. Their Dad is in the army. He was stationed in Afghanistan but when the British troops got pulled out, he was transferred to Sierra Lionne. He's coming home in a couple of weeks." She smiled.

"I used to be stationed in Afghanistan too." Sam admitted. "I was a medic, but now we're both doctors in the emergency department in Holby General." She explained whilst Tom put his arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Well that must've been an exciting job- oh my, I'd better be going, I've got to pick Emily up from stagecoach. It was nice to meet you though." She smiled before she jumped in her car and drove off.

"Right, let's get started then." Tom sighed as he opened the door to their new home. They had been there twice to see the building, but both times it had been filled with furniture owned by the previous family and now it was completely empty. It seemed massive as they looked in the hallway and up the staircase, and all the rooms were empty too. "Right, let's make this house a home." Tom stated as he left the front door open. He went through and opened the back door to their massive garden with a small patio by the back door, then a large area of green grass, and then an area of decking towards the back of the garden where they would soon have a BBQ and deck chairs for the summer.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked curiously.

"Unleashing the beasts." Tom retorted as he went out to the driveway, opened the boot and sent the dogs straight though to the garden where they were occupied with sniffing the new territory. He unpacked the things that they had brought in the car for Daniel and set them up in what would be the living room before Tom gave Sam and Daniel a hug. "Right, the removals people are gonna be at our apartment in about an hour so I'd better get going alright."

"Yep. Just drop me a text every now and then so I know how you're getting on please." Sam requested.

"Okay, you do the same. Let me know when the deliveries turn up. The delivery men will carry stuff wherever you tell them to and set things up so don't worry about having to help them. You just have fun with Daniel and the dogs."

"I will. Bye." Sam smiled as she walked him to the door.

* * *

**10am**

"Does mummy look like a decorator now?" Sam asked as she stood in a pair of old trainers, denim dungarees and a white base layer with her hair tied back in a French plait. But Daniel gave no response as he continued to play with his plush toy border collie and chew on the paw whilst he sat in the middle of the living room on the carpet with his legs straddled so that he could balance. Sam had just received the first delivery and it was from B&Q. So in the living room corner was stacks of paint tubs, new packs of pain brushes, filler and lots more. She knew that Tom wanted her to wait until he arrived after clearing out their old place but she couldn't just sit around all day so she had decided that she was going to start by painting every single wall in the house white because they needed to cover what colours were already there and so she had snuck a pair of work clothes in Daniel's changing bag.

"Ta sa da." Daniel said as he held the toy up to his mother.

"Daniel, as much as I love you, I really don't want your soggy toy."

"Baba."

"Baba? Really? That's very interesting." Sam said encouragingly as she picked the infant up and balanced him on her hip. Sam had one arm underneath his bum to support his waist, whilst in the other hand she put a pack of paintbrushes and a roller on top of a tub of paint, and then she made her way upstairs to the master bedroom with an ensuite. The ensuite had two sinks on a marble surface with cupboards below for toiletries whilst behind that in the large bathroom was a toilet, a bidet, a large bath and a large glass walk in shower with no shower head, only water that came from a grate in the ceiling and it was large enough for Sam and Tom to shower together - the ensuite was almost brand new and nothing needed doing in it, except for them to move their toiletries into it. "When are you gonna say mama?" Sam asked as she gently put Daniel down on the carpet and then she knelt down besides him. But Daniel ignored her as he began disjointedly crawling around again. Thankfully, they were getting a new carpet so it didn't matter that he was dribbling quite a lot. It also meant that Sam could begin painting without having to put some sheets down to protect the floor. "Right, you need to stay still while I paint so... I know. We'll put you in your carrier." Sam concluded as she had to regrettably pick him up and take him back downstairs again - she couldn't leave him unattended even for a minute because he could get himself into all kinds of danger now that he could crawl. She then placed the carrier in the middle of the room, strapped Daniel into it and gave him the mirror that always fascinated him, before she picked up the filler to fill in the gaps where furniture had previously been attached to the wall.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tom had taken their old bed and other furniture that would no longer be needed to the tip and had since filled up a removals van with what they were taking to their new place. The man was driving the van whilst Tom drove his car over to their new place and Sam's car was being toed by the van to save the extra journey. They had two single garages so Tom parked his car outside the first one, on the driveway, whilst the removals van parked on the pavement outside of their house.

"If you just wait here a minute mate, I just need to check something." Tom said to the delivery man before he ran into the house with a bag in his hand. He ushered the four border collies out into the back garden and gave each of them their favourite treat: a pig's ear. Yes, they actually ate pig's ears but it kept them occupied for about an hour so after giving one to each of the dogs, he shut the back door and ran upstairs to find Sam painting the walls of one of the four bedrooms and Daniel was chewing on a cold teething ring whilst he sat on her feet so that Sam knew where he was. "Oi, what are you doing?" Tom asked sternly.

"Painting a wall, what does it look like?" Sam replied sarcastically as she turned around so that Tom could see the smears of wall filler and the white paint splashes on her dungarees, as well as the blob on her cheek. "And before you ask, yes I filled the holes in the wall with filler, _yes_ I let it dry first, and _yes_ Daniel is helping. Aren't you Daniel?" Sam smiled as she put the paint brush in the tub and then lifted Daniel up, only he frowned when he dropped his teething ring and it landed in the tub of paint.

"Good shot mate." Tom chuckled but Daniel began crying because his gums were sore and gnawing on the ring had been providing him with pain relief.

"Sshh, it's okay. How about I go and wash my hands and then I'll rub your gums with my finger for you? Come on Daniel, don't cry." Sam pleaded as she made her way into the bathroom. Tom followed her and ensured that Daniel safely sat on the edge of the marble surface that the sinks were on whilst Sam turned the tap on. "Dammit, there's no soap." Sam muttered before she opened the cabinet beneath the sinks to find that in the back of it was a bottle with a bit of hand soap left in it and a roll of toilet paper. "Bingo."

"Right, I'm gonna help the bloke carry our stuff in, are you alright with him for a while?" Tom asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Sam asked rhetorically. "No, thought not." Sam said as she shook the water off of her hands and then used a couple of sheets of toilet paper to dry her hands. "Go on, I've got Mr grumpy pants." Sam stated so Tom disappeared downstairs whilst Sam went and sat on the carpet in the bedroom with Daniel in her lap facing her. She gently rubbed her index finger back and forth on the area of his gum where his left front tooth would soon come through. "There we go, is that better?" Sam asked after several minutes and Daniel just put his arms up in the arm. "What?" Sam asked confusedly.

"Uh uh." He moaned a little as he reached up and so Sam lifted him up a bit and he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Aw, good boy Daniel. Good boy." Sam praised as her son was hugging her for the first time. She and Tom had hugged him plenty of times, but it was the first time that he had hugged back so she appreciated it so much before he let go and Sam gently sat him back down in her lap. Daniel then grinned and giggled slightly as he put his arms out and attempted to pull Sam's top down. "Are you hungry Daniel? Go on then." Sam said softly as she repositioned Daniel until he was sitting on Sam's thigh - she missed when Daniel couldn't sit up and she had to cradle him to feed him, but at the same time, she was relieved that she didn't have to hold him anymore because he was getting heavy.

Daniel waited patiently for Sam to unclip her dungarees on one side, pull her white base layer down and then she unclipped her bra so that he could latch on and begin feeding.

"Mummy and daddy's bed isn't coming for a couple of days because we need to get the room painted first, so you can either sleep in your cot, or you can sleep in the armchair with mummy because daddy is gonna take up the entire sofa." Sam said softly as she rested her chin on top of Daniel's head. She had no intention of giving up breastfeeding anytime soon because she loved the close bond that it gave her with her son. "Mummy and daddy are having a takeaway for dinner, but I'm gonna do some finger foods especially for you. You can have some toast - but we'll have to make sure that daddy doesn't eat it all - and I'll cut you up some mango and cucumber."

* * *

In the evening, Sam and Tom's bedroom was still coated in wet paint, so they were sleeping down in the living room on the furniture that had been delivered that morning. The empty pizza boxes laid on the floor, Tom laid spread out under a blanket across the three seater sofa whilst Sam was curled up in the armchair giving Daniel his final breastfeed of the day. They didn't have a lampshade yet for the main lights and without that, the room was too bright for Daniel to settle down so they had just a LED camping lamp on, in the corner.

"You sure you don't want to sleep on the sofa? I don't mind sleeping in the armchair if you're too squashed." Tom said quietly as he tucked a bit of hair behind her ear; they had moved the armchair right next to the sofa to keep away from the wet walls and so they were very close for the evening.

"No. We're nice and cosy here." Sam smiled. The four dogs were curled up on the carpet in front of their owners and they too had packed up for the night and were resting. "Can you tell your son to hurry up please because I really need the toilet."

"Just take him with you." Tom laughed.

"No, I won't be able to wash my hands."

"Well then Daniel, chop chop or mummy's gonna have to borrow one of your nappies."

"He gave me a hug today. He was sitting in my lap and he just reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck." Sam stated and thankfully, Daniel pulled apart and licked his lips after he filled his stomach with his mother's milk.

"Well that's great isn't it? Daniel, are you gonna come and give daddy a hug so mummy can go to the toilet? Good boy." Tom praised as Sam lifted him over on to the sofa onto his father's chest before she got up and left the room. "Can I have a hug?"

"Uh ah." Daniel said as he heavy handedly swung his arms around Tom's neck; Sam had given him enough praise earlier to make him realise that hugging was something positive to do.

"Thank you." Tom chuckled as he rubbed his hands up and down the infant's back. "Good boy. You've been really well behaved today. Do you like your new home? It's not very pretty at the moment, but you're gonna have your own bedroom, and we're even gonna turn one of the spare bedrooms into a play room for you. And we're gonna fill the garden with a goal post, swimming pool- you name it and we'll get it for you. You're gonna get spoiled so much, and maybe in a couple of years you'll get a little brother or sister... Y'know, you have got such a special mummy and you are so lucky. Now I'll have to explain this to you when you're older so that you can understand, but when I was a baby, my mummy died, and then my dad got into trouble with the police so I was put into care. And I grew up without knowing either of my parents... You are so, so lucky to have a mum like you do because, on the outside she had this hard shell. But you've brought out this softer side of her that I've never seen before and she loves you so so much." Tom explained as he held his most important man in the world against his chest.

"Too right I do." Sam said quietly as she leant in the doorway. "And I love you too, don't ever forget that." Sam whispered before she kissed Tom on the lips. "You know that if you ever want to talk, I'm here for you right?"

"Of course I do, I was just practicing on what I'm gonna have to explain to Daniel one day when he asks where his nan and grandad are." Tom replied. "Come on, I think he's getting sleepy and we both know he's a grumpy little git when he's tired." Tom chuckled as Sam got back into the armchair and she curled up so that Tom could pass her their son. "Night night beautiful." Tom whispered as he pecked Sam on the forehead. "And night night handsome." Tom whispered as he kissed his son goodnight before he flicked the lamp off and they all went to bed.

* * *

**Coming up: The final result of a week of hard work on their ideal home. Will their hard work give them the home that they desire? Then Daniel goes for his first swimming lesson and he stands up for the first time! **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :) **


	34. Chapter 34

**Sunday 13th March 2016, 3pm**

Sam and Tom flopped onto their bed after such a long week of work. But it had certainly paid off. And they were just going to get some rest whilst Daniel took his afternoon nap in his own bedroom, as Tom had convinced Sam that it was she who had to problem of him sleeping in another room, not Daniel. And that the longer they left it, the harder it would be.

Everything was finished. The garden looked neat and tidy with a table and chairs on the decking at the back of the garden, the flower beds were filled with beautiful plants and one of the two car garages was filled with plenty of toys for Daniel to play with in the garden for the summer. Downstairs, the kitchen - which hadn't needed much work because it was a newly fitted one - was packed with food ready for the week that Sam and Tom returned to work and the downstairs study was modern and clean with a large desk, their shared laptop, a bookshelf and somewhere quiet for either parent to calm down as well as a wooden rocking chair in the corner where Daniel would be able to calm down too and where Sam or Tom could read to him with him on their lap. The living room was cozy with a large flat screen TV, DVD player and Wii surrounded by sofas with a couple of beanbags on the floor for the dogs.

Then upstairs, Sam and Tom's bedroom was suited to their needs with a massive double bed, a large wardrobe, dresser and a brilliant ensuite bathroom that for the past week, they had both showered in with their son because there was so much more room in it than their previous one. The second bedroom that was right next to theirs had been made into a nursery for Daniel, everything was blue of course with his cot, changing table, dresser and a comfortable soft armchair in the corner for breastfeeding in. The third bedroom had been made into Daniel's playroom. It was bright and colourful with many different boxes including one for dressing up, one full of books, puzzles, soft toys, plastic musical instruments and many more. Then there was a small table and chairs that had jars or crayons, pencils, pens and a stack of plain paper as well as a corner for reading with two beanbags in. There was also a baby gate across this room to stop the dogs from going in there. Finally, the fourth bedroom had just been made into a spare room with a single bed in there that they would move into Daniel's room when he got old enough.

Everything had been put together by Sam and Tom (with 'help' from Daniel) and it had taken a long time, but after months of preparation, they finally had their dream home.

* * *

**Saturday 2nd April 2016, 8am**

Sam had just locked the family cubicle in their local leisure centre where they were about to take Daniel for his first swimming lesson. He was only 7 months old, and so he wouldn't actually be learning to swim yet, but it was just a session for parents and babies to bond, as well as for them to get used to the water and the learn a couple of skills such as floating.

"Right, I'll get changed first if you hold our little cheeky rascal." Tom stated as he dumped his bag on the bench in the large cubicle and so Sam sat on the end of the bench with Daniel on her lap. "Y'know, I don't mind going in by myself if you've still got a tummy ache. Me and Daniel will be fine and you can just sit by the poolside or go to the cafe and join in next week." Tom said kindly as he knew that she had woken up in the early hours of that morning in pain because he had gotten her a hot water bottle and some painkillers.

"No, I want to. Besides, exercise is supposed to help cramps so it might help rather than sitting about." Sam replied. "I might go and see my gynaecologist about going on the pill because ever since I've had Daniel my periods have been heavier and I've never had pains this bad before."

"I was gonna suggest that actually." Tom admitted. "I'll look after Daniel when you go. Unless you want me to come with you..." Tom trailed off questioningly.

"No, no. I'd rather go by myself. But I'll tell you what happens when I get back."

"Sounds like a plan." Tom nodded as he pulled his pants down so he stood there completely naked for a few moments before he pulled his swimming trunks on. "There we go." Tom smiled as Sam handed over Daniel to his father before she began to get changed into a black one piece swimsuit that showed how well Sam had gotten back to her pre-pregnancy figure in less than a year. She then took a small item out of her gym bag and concealed it in her hand.

"Can you get him changed while I go to the toilet quickly?" Sam requested.

"Yeah sure. Let's get your swimming nappy on shall we?" Tom cooed as he closed the door after Sam exited and he then pulled down the changing table that was attached to the wall. He used an antibacterial wipe that he had in Daniel's bag to clean it before he laid his son on it and he changed Daniel into his huggies swimming nappy and then he pulled a pair of tight red swimming shorts over the top of them. He had just put the changing table back up when Sam returned. "He's just had a wet nappy so hopefully he should be okay in the pool." Tom informed.

"Alright. Let's go for it."

* * *

It was only the first of the twelve swimming sessions that occurred weekly so the eleven other babies and their parents were all in the same boat because it was their first class too and they ranged from 4 months old right up to a year old. Though even at 7 months old, Daniel was still one of the oldest in the class that had four instructors in the small baby pool that was kept nice and warm.

"Good morning mums, dads and babies. Now I'm the head instructor here and my name is Carla. These are the other instructors who will also help you. This is Saffron, Sue and Penny." Carla explained as she and the other instructors stood in their black wetsuits. "Now your beautiful sons and daughters here today aren't old enough to learn how to swim just yet, but these sessions are going to get your baby used to the water and teach them some essential survival skills such as holding their breath underwater so that when they get older, they'll be very prepared and it'll be easier for your child to begin swimming lessons with a bit of a head start. To start off with, I want you all to hold you baby under their arms and have them facing you so that they can see a familiar face and just bounce them up and down a bit, but keep their heads above water for now, just to let them get used to the water." She instructed.

"Go on, you can go first." Tom said softly and so Sam held Daniel under his arms with his shoulders and head out of the water. "Oh go on then, I can't resist." Tom smirked as he squatted down in the shallow pool behind Sam and put his arms around her sides so that he too had contact with his son's skin to keep him calm.

"We're going to be doing this for around five minutes." Carla announced.

"Do you like being in the water Daniel?" Tom cooed as he rested his chin on Sam's bare shoulder. "You used to hate being in the water, you absolutely hated baths and now look at you. The next Tom Daley." Tom said proudly.

"Mm." Sam smiled.

"Hiya, I'm penny." One of the instructors introduced as she came over to the Kent family who were the furthest back in the pool from the front but they weren't too spread out from the other families. "Who is this handsome little man?" She asked.

"This is Daniel, I'm Tom and this is my wife Sam." Tom explained.

"Wonderful to meet you all. And how old is little Daniel?"

"He's seven months old." Sam replied.

"Well he looks like he's enjoying that very much so I'll leave you to it. But if you want a hand or you've got a question, don't be afraid to give me a shout." She smiled before she went over to another family.

"People like her really tick me off." Sam whispered.

"Why? Because she's in a good mood?" Tom smirked.

"No because she thinks that she knows so much more than me about my own son."

"She was just offering help with swimming, nothing else." Tom chuckled.

"I still don't like her." Sam shrugged.

"Wow, you're really good at kicking aren't you?" Tom cooed at Daniel to change the subject as the boy kicked his legs back and forth in the water whilst Sam continued to lift him up and down a couple of inches in the water. "I tell you what, I bet you're as ticklish underwater as you are out of it." Tom smiled as he tickled Daniel's hips. The infant giggled so he kicked even harder but unfortunately he accidentally kicked Sam in the abdomen which instantly caused Tom to worry as she flinched back slightly. "Are you okay? Do you want me to hold him for a minute?" Tom asked quickly.

"Tom he can't kick hard enough to do any damage." Sam stated bluntly. "He could stand on top of my stomach and it probably wouldn't hurt very much."

"I know, I just wanted an excuse to take Daniel off of you." Tom admitted and Sam rolled her eyes before she very carefully handed her son over to the man that she loved. "Aw, does this remind you of shower time?" Tom asked softly as he held his child against his chest.

* * *

**Sunday 1st May 2016**

Time had flown by and neither Sam nor Tom could believe that their son was already 8 months old. Tom was watching TV whilst Sam was polishing the fireplace when she felt a little tug on her skinny jeans. She knew Daniel had been crawling towards her on the carpet but as she looked down, she saw a very concentrated face on her son as he continued to pull on her trousers.

"Tom, look." Sam whispered and both parents watched as Daniel pulled himself until he was standing up on his own two feet for the first time in his life, but he was clinging on for dear life and he looked a little scared.

"Daniel well done!" Tom praised as he got onto his knees on the carpet next to his son in case he fell.

"Good boy." Sam smiled as she smoothed her hand over his short brown hair. The encouragement caused Daniel to smile and, as he always did when he was happy, he began clapping his hands together. But once he had leg go of Sam's leg he began to fell backwards and thankfully Tom caught him, hoisted him up into the air and then gave him a cuddle.

"Shall we try again?" Tom suggested as he sat Daniel down on his bum on the carpet and then Tom held both of his hands. "Can you stand up Daniel?" Tom asked but Daniel wasn't moving.

"I think he prefers it if he can pull himself up on something sturdy rather than you helping him." Sam stated.

"Well then, let's sit him here." Tom said as he moved Daniel so that he was sitting with his legs straddled around one of Sam's feet. They both watched for a few minutes as Daniel clutched some of Sam's trousers in his hands tightly before he slowly and clumsily pulled himself into a standing position again. "Well done Daniel."

"Can you take a couple of steps towards daddy?" Sam asked as she pointed towards Tom as he held his arms out to receive his son. But Daniel didn't understand and he frowned as he didn't know how to sit back down on the floor and it looked like a long way down, even though he was only 2 ft 3 inches in height. He screwed up his face and both parents knew that that was what he did before he cried. "Daniel it's okay baby, you did really well." Sam said reassuringly as she bent down and picked him up. "How about we go outside and okay with bubbles? You like bubbles don't you?"

"I love bubbles." Tom stated as he jumped up and followed Sam outside. There was already a pot of bubbles on the table where they had played with them that very morning because it was a nice sunny day. "Right, I'll blow a bubble." Tom said slowly as he did so and Daniel clapped his hands together before poked it with his finger and popped it. "Do you think you can blow one Daniel?" Tom asked as he put the stick into the mixture and then held it for his son.

"Are you gonna blow Daniel?" Sam cooed as she bounced him on her hip.

"That sounds so wrong." Tom smirked and Daniel blew into the circle but he spat a bit too which amused Sam. "Oops, it popped. Let's try another one. Ready... Well done Daniel!" Tom praised and Daniel clapped as he felt proud of himself, only Sam had given him a helping hand by discreetly blowing from behind because he couldn't yet do one himself. Daniel giggled to himself which always made Sam and Tom smile - he sounded just like a stereotypical baby laugh on the TV.

* * *

That night, Sam and Tom were fast asleep when they were woken up by the shrieks of their baby. Usually, Daniel slept through the night and he would only wake on the odd occasion but never had he been screaming like he was then. Both presumed that it was something serious so they simultaneously jumped out of bed, ran into his bedroom with Sam in front and she switched his light on to find him leaning against the rails of his cot and he was clinging on for dear life.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Sam asked softly as she felt his red cheeks to check of he had a temperature but he was only a little bit warm on the cheeks and not on his hands so it was just because he was crying that his skin was flushed. They both watched as he squatted a little bit whilst he held onto the rails but he quickly pulled himself up again. "You don't think he's crying because he doesn't know how to sit down yet do you?" Sam asked her husband.

"Maybe." Tom shrugged. "Here we go mate." Tom said a he gently lifted Daniel up under his arms and he sat the infant down on his bum. "Is that better?" Tom asked as he wiped the tears away from his cheeks. Daniel immediately stopped making loud noises though he did still look a little upset and he didn't lie down which he would usually do on his own.

"Can he come and sleep with us please?" Sam asked.

"Go on then. I think he's earned it today." Tom nodded so Sam scooped her baby into her arms and carried him through to her bedroom. They got into bed with Daniel in between them and they kept the duvet folded back so that it was below their knees and nowhere near their son. "Settle down, settle down." Tom whispered softly as the boy wriggled his arms and legs about. "Do you mind if I read him a story? See if that sends him off?" Tom asked.

"Not it's fine. Hopefully it'll send me off as well." Sam mumbled as she laid on her side to face her son and husband and rested her head on the pillow. Tom grabbed a book from his bedside cabinet and began softly reading it. He was about halfway through the short story when he paused to see that Sam's chest slowly rose and fell and her eyes were closed, so she had gone back to sleep sooner than their son who was definitely getting sleepier. Tom began reading again and just as he got to the end of the book, Daniel closed his tired eyes and stopped fidgeting.

"Finally." Tom whispered in relief before he silently put the book away and flicked the light off.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom take Daniel, who had just turned one year old, out for a meal. But when they get home and a storm begins, they learn that their son's fear of loud noises includes thunder.**

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Sunday 1st October 2016**

Sam and Tom had just parked up in the car park for harvester as they were going out for a family meal. It was only once a month that they went out and set together at a restaurant but they always chose family friendly ones so that they didn't feel awkward with bringing their son, Daniel, who was 1 year and 1 month old. He was just beginning to get the grips of 'cruising' - term used when infants begin to walk but they cannot do so without holding onto something such as a piece of furniture to steady them. However, he was just entering a phase where he had stranger anxiety and so he didn't trust anyone except his mum and dad. And because of this, Daniel didn't walk using furniture to balance himself, he would only walk if he was holding on to one of Sam or Tom's legs.

"Come on you little munchkin. Are you hungry?" Tom asked as he lifted Daniel out of his car seat and placed him firmly on the ground. At 13 months old, Daniel's vocabulary consisted of six words: mummy, daddy, please, thankyou, yes and his favourite word 'no'. Most of what he said was incomprehensible to most, only Sam and Tom could ever understand that he was trying to say which was why he trusted them so much.

"Yes daddy." Daniel nodded enthusiastically.

"Now it's a busy car park so daddy's going to carry you just in use but you can walk in the building okay." Sam said as she glanced at Tom. He got the message as he was going to let Daniel walk there but he decided that Sam was right so he picked Daniel up and carried him son who was dressed in a blue checkered shirt and a tiny pair of jeans along with his favourite trainers that flashed when pressed a button on them. They entered the restaurant which wasn't too busy but it certainly wasn't quiet and were waiting mere seconds before a cheery waiter came up to them, by which time Tom had placed Daniel on the floor.

"Table for three?" He questioned.

"Yes please." Sam nodded.

"And will this young gentleman need a high chair?" He asked as he smiled down at Daniel but his stranger anxiety got the better of him and he hid behind Tom's leg.

"No, we've got a seat for him but we need a booth bench to put it on." Sam replied as she gestured her large changing bag. "And could we have a table near the salad bar if possible because he likes walking but he can't go very far. And also if we could sit out of the way of people because he's a bit anxious around people, that would be great. Sorry to be a pain."

"No worries, just wait here for a moment and I'll go and see what's available." He smiled before he disappeared and Sam looked down at her son who was still clutching onto Tom's jeans.

"Hey, it's okay we'll hopefully be somewhere a bit quieter in a minute." Sam said reassuringly because they were in a loud area of the restaurant. Daniel jumped out of his skin when the door behind him opened and as a group of adults entered the entrance, Daniel pulled an upset face and clung to Tom even harder. He pulled on Tom's jeans and the reached one of his hands up so Tom bent down and picked Daniel up and kept one arm under his bum to support his weight.

"He's really clingy tonight isn't he?" Sam sighed as Daniel buried his head under Tom's chin. "Maybe we shouldn't have come out-"

"Hey, he's not gonna get over this fear of people without meeting some is he?" Tom said to reassure Sam that she had not made a wrong decision. "Besides, you wait until he's got food in front of him and he'll be fine."

"Daddy." Daniel mumbled.

"I know mate, it's alright." Tom said sympathetically as he rubbed him on the back. "But seeing as you've been so good this week, we're treating you to a nice dinner. And there's going to be lots of different colours and bits to try with the sald. You like bright colours don't you?" Tom asked and Daniel finally took his head off of Tom's head and he nodded. The infant could understand and comprehend a lot more words than he could say so for example, if Sam asked him to clap his hands, he could do so. But he couldn't say the phrase himself.

"If you'd like to follow me." The waiter smiled and so Tom carried his so and followed his wife to a table. "Is this suitable for your needs?" He asked as he gestured the booth in a corner of the restaurant with three benches around the table that would certainly seat more than three people. They could clearly see the salad bar just several metres away and so both of them were pleased with their table.

"This is perfect thank you." Sam smiled.

"Okay, well here are your menus. And this is the children's menu. Would you like a puzzle map and some crayons?" He asked as he placed three laminated booklets onto their table.

"Um, no he's a bit young for that. But thank you anyway." Tom replied.

"Well I'll leave you to get seated and I'll be back soon to take your orders." He stated happily before he left.

"We always seem to be lucky with the waiters when we go out." Sam smirked as she got out the plastic chair for Daniel that had a lap tray and was easy to clean. She just placed it on the back of the booth, facing the rectangular table before Tom sat his son down in it and they strapped him in.

"Or maybe the places we go to are just very family friendly." Tom remarked as he sat a foot away from Daniel, and opposite Sam so there was one person on each bench, and both parents were next to their child. "Right, do you want a beer?" Sam asked.

"Um, no thanks. I might have one when I get home though and then crash out on the sofa in my boxers." He admitted.

"And of course you mean after Daniel's bedtime routine." Sam stated sheepishly.

"Noooo!" Daniel moaned.

"No, not yet sweetheart. You've still got a couple of hours of energy left in you haven't you?" Sam smiled as she reassuringly put her hand on top of his.

"Yeah!" Daniel giggled as he clapped his hands together.

"What do you want for dinner Daniel? We get unlimited salad so we'll have plenty of that first, but like daddy said, seeing as you've been very good this week you get a big boys meal off of the menu for big boys." Sam said as she picked up the children's menu. "You can have chicken strips, fish and peas, fish, chips and peas, sausages, mash and peas, pasta in a _yummy_ tomato sauce," sam said as she showed the infant the colourful menu. Though she put emphasis on 'yummy' as she tried to steer her son to the healthier meal. "Or macaroni cheese." She added and Daniel firmly, and clumsily, placed his finger on the chicken strips meal that had a cartoon chicken standing by it.

"Nice try." Tom smirked at his wife. "Has he tried peas before?" Tom asked.

"Um, yeah but he didn't like them I don't think." Sam replied.

"Do you think maybe it's a good idea to ask for it without the peas? And just give him some veg through the salad because I can imagine that peas are gonna be a bit messy." Tom suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably the best idea."

"What are you gonna have?" Tom asked.

"Er... I'm gonna be an absolute pig and have the plantation platter." Sam stated proudly. She didn't often indulge in unhealthy food, but when she did she could eat for England.

"Which includes?"

"Chicken wings, pork ribs, spit roast chicken, king prawns and a corn on the cob." Sam explained.

"Ooh, I might have that but without the prawns." Tom stated.

"They do it for one, and to share so we could share it and you could have my wings so I can have your prawns. And you get two sides with it too. I was gonna get mashed potato as my side and then swap Daniel's chips for mash because he likes mash and I don't really want him eating chips. He probably won't like them anyway."

"Yep okay." Tom nodded. "What drink are you gonna have?"

"Unlimited refills." Sam replied just as the waiter came over.

"Have you decided what you would like this evening?" He asked politely as he stood ready with a notepad. Daniel frowned at the appearance of a stranger so Sam soothingly held Daniel's hand with one of hers and she used the other to draw imaginary lines all over his hand which settled him.

"Yes we'll have two unlimited refillable drinks, a plantation platter to share with mashed potato and chips. And off of the children's menu, we'll have the chicken strips and chips but can we have it without the peas please?" Tom asked.

"Yes, of course you can. Would you like your salad bowls now?"

"Yeah we'll have three please."

"You must have a healthy little lad there. The youngest people who don't just go up to the salad bar for bacon bits are young adults like yourself." The waiter smiled. "I'll be back in a moment."

"_I_ just go up to the salad bar for bacon bits." Tom whispered and Sam rolled her eyes.

"Mummy!" Daniel announced to make his presence known before he cupped his hands together repeatedly.

"You want a drink?" Sam asked and her son nodded so she rustled through her bag before she pulled out a bottle of very diluted squash because he wouldn't drink plain water. She poured a little bit into Daniel's blue cup and then handed it to him, but she kept her hands over his to prevent any spills before she out the cup out of his reach and on the table.

"Fank you." Daniel smiled.

"No, thank _you_ for being such a polite little boy." Sam smiled.

"You're turning into a right little gentleman aren't you?" Tom teased as he tussled Daniel's short brown, curly hair. "Do you want to go up with him first and take his salad bowl, and the I'll go up and get what we want while you supervise him?"

"Okey dokey."

* * *

Sam had Daniel balanced on her hip with his plastic salad bowl on the side of the salad bar whilst she filled it up for him and Tom waited back at their table with their things.

"Shall we get you a hard boiled egg? You like those don't you? And ooh, grated carrot. You like this Daniel, what colour is carrot?" Sam asked but Daniel had a habit of putting his hands up and shrugging when he didn't know something. "It's orange." Sam put in plenty of other bits of salad with bright colours and avoided the couscous because she could only imagine the mess that he could get in. She also avoided the harder items such as croutons because even though he had almost three quarters of his baby teeth already, she didn't want him crunching away on something hard. Sam was just finishing up when a couple of harmless but loud men with deep voices came over to the salad bar and Sam felt Daniel cling to her.

"Mummy." He sobbed quietly.

"Alright, we'll go back to the table." Sam whispered reassuringly as she kept one arm under his bum to hold him up and she picked up his salad bowl with the other before she made the short journey back to their table.

* * *

Everyone had finished their meal including Daniel who had made a spectacular mess with his mashed potato but Sam and Tom cleared it up and he was back to watching his parents after the distraction of food - which he saw as a toy - had been removed.

"Do you want to get dessert?" Tom asked.

"Nah, I'm stuffed." Sam stated as she patted her stomach. "You can have one if you want."

"No, I'm filled up too. You finished with your drink?" Tom asked and Sam confusedly nodded. She watched as he took the half slice of lemon out of her glass and he removed the single pip before he moved towards his child.

"You're not actually gonna give it to him are you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, it's a good source of vitamin C." Tom smirked as he handed Daniel the slice. Daniel sniffed it before he licked the strange item. Sam and Tom watched as he screwed up his face but moments later, he licked it again.

"We should've gotten this on camera." Sam laughed as he kept on pulling strange faces but he returned the slice to his face and he licked it or took a little nibble again each time. But soon, he dropped it onto his tray as he had had enough of it. "Oi, I just cleaned that!" Sam protested as she picked the mauled and chewed object up and put it into her empty glass. "Right, shall we go home?"

"Are you ready for bedtime Daniel?" Tom asked as he lifted Daniel out of his chair and then placed him onto the floor on his own two feet.

"How on earth did that get there?" Sam questioned as she picked up a slice of cucumber from the back of the chair and put it in her glass too before she cleaned the chair up and put it in her large changing bag.

"Right-"

"Fancy seeing you lot here!" Fletch laughed as he, his wife and his kids had just been seated near them.

"Hi." Sam smiled as she went to go and walk over there.

"Mummy no." Daniel whined before he pouted his lips whilst he clung on to Tom's leg. He was obviously anxious of the large family that, for him, were far too close for comfort.

"Daniel it's okay, it's Uncle Fletch. Y'know, the one who we see in the park sometimes with Mikey?"

"Daddy." Daniel sobbed as he looked up at his father.

"Hey, don't cry mate. It's alright mummy and daddy aren't going anywhere." Tom said reassuringly as he picked his son up and gave him a cuddle before he held him on his hip whilst Fletch and Natalie gave them a sympathetic look.

"Let's go home and give you a nice bath." Sam said softly as she brushed his cheek with her thumb before she grabbed her bag. "Sorry but he's really anxious around other people at the moment." Sam said as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

"Don't worry we've been there twice already." Fletch stated.

"Twice?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, only Mikey and Noah had it, but the girls were fine."

"Daddy." Daniel muttered.

"Sshh, it's alright. We're going home now, just cover your ears and before you know it we'll be in the car." Tom stated.

"By the way it's chucking it down outside." Fletch stated as he took his seat.

"Really? Oh, I'd better bring the car around then." Tom stated as he went to put Daniel down on the floor but Sam stopped him.

"Tom, it's a bit of rain, it's not gonna hurt us."

"Alright then, let's go home."

* * *

"It's raining cats and dogs out there." Tom announced as the Kent Family entered their home. They hadn't brought coats because it had been a warm evening and they were eating inside so they were drenched. Sam laughed as Tom shook his hair like a dog to dry off and so Daniel copied him.

"Right mister, shall we get these fancy shoes off?" Sam suggested as she sat Daniel down on the bottom stair and then she pulled his Velcro trainers off.

"It's only 7pm so maybe he can stay up for a little bit longer." Tom said.

"Yep, okay. You don't look tired do you?" Sam smiled before she lifted him off of the step and put him on his own two feet.

"Maybe to wear him out, we could see if he can take his first couple of steps by himself."

"I think that that might be pushing it." Sam stated as they entered the living room and closed the baby gate behind them where Shadow, Alex, Panda and Zoe were walking around and wagging their tails as they welcomed their owners home. Sam and Tom rarely sat on the sofas anymore unless Daniel was asleep because they always had to sit on the floor and play with Daniel and his toys, or assist him with cruising around. "Did you have to give him the loudest toy?" Sam moaned and Daniel giggled as he sat with his small, colourful, wooden xylophone in front of him.

"It's his favourite one!" Tom protested as he sat cross legged behind his son whilst he randomly hit the tiles with the beater, though despite the fact that they were so big, he still managed to hit the frame rather than the bits that made music several times.

Suddenly, the living room flashed a bright white and then there was a loud rumble of thunder. Daniel immediately dropped his beater and began to cry so Tom reached forward and pulled his son into his lap.

"It's okay... Sshh. Daniel why don't you try and make as much noise as you can with this?" Tom suggested as he pulled the xylophone forwards and held the beater towards his son but Daniel kept on crying.

"Daniel, it's stopped now, it's okay." Sam said reassuringly. "Oh brilliant, they don't like it either." Sam stated as the younger dogs where beginning to hang around her and Tom, as they always did when there were loud noises such as fireworks, and they began to pant. Shadow -though she did used to- obviously didn't mind thunder but she hated fireworks.

* * *

"I cannot believe what I'm seeing." Sam smirked as she and Tom collapsed onto the sofa. In front of them, in the corner where there were three beanbags against the wall, were the five youngest members of the family. Panda was curled up in the corner, Zoe was right next to her, as was Alex. And then in between Alex and Shadow, Daniel was also laying down and he had his arms wrapped around Shadow's torso as he nuzzled his face into her fur. Shadow, of course, didn't mind at all because she was very tolerant of Daniel and she would protect him, and Sam and Tom, just like she would her own puppies who were almost grown to full size. Because all of them except Shadow had been scared of the thunder, they had curled up together and then Daniel had crawled over and climbed on top of them. Now however, Sam and Tom were faced with a dilemma.

"How long do we leave him there until we take him up to bed?" Sam asked. "I know Shadow is perfectly safe with him but we can't leave him there all night, just in case Shadow jumps up or steps on him or something." Sam stated.

"Yeah, I know." Tom sighed. "Maybe we should just wait until the thunder calms down because it's coming every five minutes at the moment and I don't want to wake him up on the way up to bed because then he won't get back to sleep again."

"And what if the thunder goes on all night?"

"It won't."

* * *

"Daddy?" Daniel mumbled sleepily. He had just been carried upstairs and laid down in his cot and Tom had changed him into a sleep suit.

"It's bedtime sleepyhead, night night." Tom whispered as he bent down and kissed Daniel on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams." Sam whispered as she did the same action. They waited a couple of minutes until he was definitely asleep again before they left the room and switched the light out. Sam and Tom walked straight across the landing to their bedroom and got ready for bed.

* * *

**Coming up: Firework night arrives and once again, five members of the Kent Family are petrified of the loud noises.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**

**Im sorry if these chapters are getting a bit boring but I promise there's some more Tam romance and a big surprise coming up in chapter 37 (or possibly 38, I'm not sure yet!)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Sunday 5th November 2017**

"What on earth are we supposed to do tonight?" Sam sighed as she and Tom did the washing up whilst they watched Daniel, who was two years and two months old, dig outside in his sand box to find the 5 marbles that Tom had hidden for him. They could see just outside the kitchen window where he was so he wasn't unsupervised. "He doesn't like ear plugs, the dogs are gonna go mad and this time Daniel can't cuddle up to Shadow because she's scared of fireworks too." Sam ranted quietly as it was firework night and neither her son or the dogs liked loud noises like hair dryers, let alone big bangs like fireworks. Additionally, they lived about five miles away from the local racecourse who were having a massive firework show like they did every year that cost £15 a ticket to raise money for the humongous display that went on way past Daniel's bedtime of 7:30pm.

"Maybe we could have a little camp out in the living room." Tom suggested. "I could run to tescos and buy a cheap tent and we can get cosy with the beanbags and sleeping bags. And we could watch a movie or two to try and drown out the noise. C'mon, if he's snuggled between us I'm sure he'll be fine."

"And what about the dogs?" Sam asked.

"They can snuggled up with us and we can get them a disgusting Pig's ear each or an even bigger treat that'll take them ages to chew on and distract them."

"Why didn't I think of that?!" Sam moaned.

"Because I'm a genius and you're not." Tom quipped.

"Oi-"

"Daddy! Done!" Daniel shouted excitedly as he interrupted his mother an they both looked in the doorway to see him standing with his hands cupped around five large marbles and he was dropping bits of sand on the floor plus his shoes were bringing some in too.

"Well done Daniel. Why don't we tidy up the garden? And then me and you can go to tescos and get a tent and some treats. And if you're really well behaved, I'll even let you pick a brand new cuddly toy."

"Yeah!" Daniel nodded confidently.

* * *

"You alright in the back there?" Tom asked as he heard Daniel beginning to get a bit upset in the back in in sigh car seat. Tom had just stopped at the traffic lights and turned around to see that Daniel was fidgeting and he was pressing his hands down between his legs. "You need your nappy changed? Don't worry mate, we're nearly there." Tom stated as he pulled into the car park and pulled up towards the back away from the store where it was empty because he knew that the toilets in there weren't very nice so he was just going to change him in the car. He opened the boot where Daniel's changing bag was and he get everything ready before he lifted Daniel out of his car seat and he laid him on the changing mat in the boot, which was thankfully facing a brick wall so no one could see. He then changed his wet nappy and put the dirty one and the wipes in the in behind him before he lifted Daniel to his feet and pulled his jeans up for him.

"Thank you Daddy."

"You're welcome." Tom said as he lifted his son down onto the floor. "Now," Tom began as he squatted in front of his son. "Seeing as it's a Monday morning, the shop is going to be quieter than usual, so do you think you can help daddy with the shopping and walk alongside me?" Tom asked because usually when they went shopping, Daniel preferred to either sit in the seat in the trolley, or Tom would carry Daniel whilst Sam pushed the trolley because he hadn't quite overcome his stranger anxiety. Daniel just shrugged and put his hands out to the side which was what he always did when he couldn't comprehend what he was meant to do. "You don't understand no? Okay, I'll carry you to the shop entrance becuase we don't want you getting run over plus it's a long way, but when we get there, you're gonna walk around the shop with me." Tom explained as he hoisted Daniel up and sat him on his shoulders with his legs either side of Tom's neck. "Make sure you hold on." Tom warned as he walked over to the shop. He grabbed a small trolley and then placed Daniel on the floor besides him. Tom watched as his son looked at the couple of people going in and out of the store and he moved a bit closer to Tom's leg so Tom put his hand down and held Daniel's small hand before he pushed the trolley with the other and they headed for the outdoors aisle. "See if you can find the tents Daniel. I'll give you a hint, they're probably in big bags and maybe blue or green in colour." Tom said encouragingly and because the aisle was empty Daniel zoomed off and looked up and down until he pointed at a shelf and jumped up and down. "Well done." Tom praised. "An, now here's the tough decision. Do we get the blue one, or the pink one?" Tom asked as he picked up two thin, long, rounded bags each containing a beach tent that had only three sides and no door so they would be able to have the open side facing the TV.

"Boo! Boo!" Daniel said loudly.

"You mean blue?" Tom said as he put emphasis on the 'l'.

"Bwoo." Daniel said as he cocked his head.

"Close enough." Tom smirked as he put the blue tent in the trolley. He then went to the baby aisle and picked up some more wipes and nappies before they went to the toiletries.

"What that?" Daniel asked as he put his hands out to the side whilst Tom had discreetly tried to put a box of tampons and a pack of pads, that Sam had asked him to get, into the trolley which he had tried to hide because he knew that his son would ask questions.

"It's just a box of tissues for cleaning up." Tom lied and Daniel seemed content with the answer before he toddled off and Tom had to chase after him as he let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

"Don't cry Daniel, you're doing so well." Sam said softly. They had set up the tent in the living room with the first Toy Story film playing whilst Daniel was cuddled by his mum on one side and his dad on the other under blankets whilst they leant on beanbags with the dogs curled up by their feet. Unfortunately, the fireworks show at the racecourse had obviously began because Daniel had been okay with a couple of bangs from the nearby gardens but it had suddenly got louder.

"I don't like it." Daniel mumbled as he buried his head into his dad's chest whilst Sam gently rubbed her hand up and down his back.

"I know you don't mate, but what don't you like about it? Because you're perfectly safe and it's not gonna hurt you." Tom said reassuringly.

"I don't like it." Daniel repeated before he began sobbing again and it broke Sam's heart to hear her baby so frightened and upset.

"Do you want to come up and cuddle with mummy and daddy in our bed?" Sam asked.

"No." Daniel said firmly.

"Do you want some warm milk?"

"Mmhmm." Daniel mumbled as he turned around onto his other side and he went to grab Sam's breast but Sam stopped him.

"Daniel, we stopped that weeks ago darling." Sam said softly. Sam had breastfed until Daniel's 2nd birthday. She had gotten strange looks from others for breastfeeding a toddler in the staffroom at work, but the World Health organisation recommended that all babies are breastfed for their first two years of life and Sam saw no harm in carrying on with something that helped the two to bond - she also didn't care what other people thought of her so she ignored the ignorant looks. "I'll go and warm you up some whole milk-"

"No mummy don't go." Daniel protested as he let go of his father and clung onto his mother for dear life.

"Alright, Daddy can go and warm your milk up for you." Sam hinted and so Tom got up and tucked the cover that he had just move under Daniel so he was comfy.

* * *

"I'm kind of glad he's scared of fireworks." Sam admitted softly as she stroked her son's hair. He was fast asleep after they had turned the TV off and Tom had read several stories whilst he had a cup of warm milk to make him sleepy and he had fallen asleep cuddling his mother so she had him in her arms.

"Why?" Tom questioned.

"Because he's never like this anymore; I miss it when he didn't trust other people at all and when he was really clingy wherever we went."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. At times it was a bit too much but it was comforting that he trusted us so much." Tom nodded.

"Can you carefully carry him up to bed please?" Sam requested.

"Why? I thought we were gonna spend all night here." Tom stated confusedly.

"Yeah well I think I'm about to come on, I'm not feeling very well and as cosy as this is, I just want to go to the toilet, get some painkillers and a hot water bottle and cuddle in bed with you." Sam admitted. She had started taking the contraceptive pill because her periods had been a lot heavier and more painful since she had given birth to Daniel, and it had helped quite a bit. But Sam still had pain for the first day or two of every cycle and Tom always took care of her when she was feeling poorly because he was mature enough and kind enough to do so. "Plus if I don't go and get a pad now then I'm gonna wake up in a pool of blood." Sam quipped.

"Far too much information." Tom stated as he shuddered. "Go on, go up to bed. I'll do your hot water bottle for you." Tom said as he ever so gently scooped his son into his arms and carried the lad up to bed.

* * *

Tom held the hot water bottle against his wife's abdomen from behind whilst she curled up with her knees against her chest and their son was thankfully still asleep in his cot in his own room.

"How's my beautiful wife feeling?" Tom asked softly as he used his spare hand to comb his fingers through Sam's long hair.

"Like I'm on my period." Sam mumbled bluntly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Tom asked.

"This is gonna sound really cliched and cheesy, but..."

"But what?" Tom prompted.

"Just hold me until I fall asleep." Sam whispered.

"Okay sweetheart." Tom replied softly and he couldn't help but smile at his wife whilst he cuddled her with the intention to keep her in his arms all night, not just until she fell asleep.

* * *

**Monday 2nd July 2018**

It was the first day of many that Sam and Tom had booked time off of work so that they could spend their summer with their son. After booking Daniel's birthday, a week around Christmas and new year and a week near Easter, they decided that the best time to use up the rest of their holidays would be when there was good weather. And once again, it had turned out to be a very hot summer. Daniel was 2 1/2 years old and of course, he was whining whilst he stood in his is swimming nappy and blue wetsuit material shorts whilst Sam rubbed sun cream onto his back for him. They hadn't yet attempted potty training because he still wasn't ready, but he was certainly growing into a handsome young boy with short, light brown curly hair.

"Mummy."

"Yes Daniel." Sam replied as she rubbed the sun cream into his shoulders.

"Lolly please." Daniel requested cheekily - he couldn't yet structure questions more than a few of words long.

"Not yet, maybe a bit later after lunch." Sam replied.

"Last one in the pool smells!" Tom shouted as he ran past Sam and his son and he dived straight into the massive circular pool that was 12 ft in diameter and 1.5m deep. They had gotten that because they were teaching Daniel his to swim, and then they had the small rectangular pool (that Tom had gotten for Sam to cool down three years ago when she was heavily pregnant) that Daniel could walk around in, play in and the dogs could play in too.

"Oi, no you need to wait for your sun cream to soak in." Sam said sternly as she stopped Daniel from running after his father.

"Mummy." Daniel moaned as he folded his arms across his chest and frowned.

"Only a couple more minutes and don't look at me like that. Don't you remember when daddy got sunburnt and he was in pain for ages?"

"Heehee, daddy tomato!" Daniel giggled at the memory.

"Exactly, you don't want to turn into a tomato so just wait." Sam said sternly. "Daddy, I'm just gonna go and get changed can you keep an eye on him for a minute?" Sam asked. They could no longer call each other by their names when Daniel was around because otherwise he got a bit confused though Tom quite enjoyed calling Sam mummy because he knew it annoyed her when he said it.

"Of course I can mummy." Tom beamed so Sam rolled her eyes before she went back inside the house and Daniel stood on the patio.

"Daddy lolly please." Daniel asked.

"Oi you cheeky rascal, I just heard you ask mummy that." Tom smirked and Daniel giggled as he clapped his hands together. "And the answer is still no." Tom added. "Tell you what, you can have an ice cream later, _if_ you do a favour for me. But it's top secret and you can't tell mummy." Tom said sternly. "Come here." Daniel ran up to the edge of the pool and Tom began whispering into his ear.

"What are you two up to?" Sam asked as she came out in a aqua blue bandeau bikini with her hair tied up in a messy bun to keep it out of her face.

"Nothing." Tom replied and Sam gave him a sheepish look before she pulled her sunglasses on.

* * *

"Be very quiet." Tom whispered as he put his finger to his lip. He had been helping Daniel learn to float on his back in the large swimming pool when he decided that it was time for Daniel to do his 'favour' for his daddy. Sam was sunbathing on a lounger on the decking at the end of the garden in the bright sun so Tom silently lifted Daniel, who was trying not to giggle, out of the pool and onto his feet because the pool was taller than Daniel and he couldn't get in or out of it by himself. "Do you know what to do?" Tom asked quietly and Daniel nodded as he filled up the small plastic bucket with water from the smaller pool. He toddled over to where Sam was, and accidentally spilled some of the water on the way, but Sam had fallen asleep so she didn't notice, until Daniel poured the bucked of cold water over his mummy and Sam shrieked as she jumped up.

"Daniel!"

"Daddy's idea." Daniel giggled as he jumped up and down out of happiness.

"Was it now?" Sam asked as she put her hands on her hips and Tom raised his eyebrows as he put his hands up in mock surrender. "Well then Daniel, why don't you get your water gun and me and you can get daddy back?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah!" Daniel smiled as he ran as fast as he could to the small pool and got his small, green, plastic water gun that didn't have a lot of power.

"Daddy's already wet, I don't care!" Tom laughed as Sam stood with dripping wet hair.

"Come on." Sam picked up Daniel and lifted him into the pool before she balanced him on her hip because he couldn't swim yet and the pool was deeper than him so she didn't want to take a risk. Daniel started squirting Tom with his gun whilst Sam splashed Tom with her spare hand, but when Tom started splashing back, Sam lifted Daniel in front of her to shield herself.

"Daddy! Stop!" Daniel giggled as he dropped his gun and tried to hide himself but within seconds the family were drenched.

"Alright, alright. Ceasefire." Tom ordered. "We're even."

"I have lolly now daddy?" Daniel asked innocently and Tom glanced at Sam to see that she was shaking her head in disapproval that he had asked his son.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam gets worried after Daniel experiences a prolonged cold, but he is given a devastating diagnosis that requires surgery. Will Sam and Tom lose their one and only son?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Tuesday 1st March 2018**

"That's quite the chesty cough that you've got there, isn't it." Sam sighed as she patted her 3 year old son on the back whilst he coughed until he could cough no more and had to deeply inhale. Her son had been battling a heavy cold for several days which she and Tom had had to alternate and take off of work because he couldn't go to the crèche when he was ill, plus when Daniel was poorly, he tended to be quite clingy for a couple of days. "Hmm. Maybe you've got a chest infection." Sam said questioningly. She held Daniel against her chest whilst she carried him upstairs to her bedroom where she took her expensive black stethoscope out of her bedside table. She had used it when she was pregnant with him because it was a highly sensitive one to pick up his heartbeat within the womb. Because it had sentimental value, and because it was expensive, Sam had not used it on a regular basis at work; she had her trusty yellow stethoscope to do that.

"What is a chest infect-thingy?" Daniel wheezed.

"It's just a bad cold that you need to see a doctor to make you better." Sam lied as she knew anything more complicated wouldn't be understood by her son. "Just sit still for me." Sam said as she sat her son on her double bed. She put the stethoscope in her ears and then put the chest piece on his back, then his front. "Your lungs sound clear to me- hang on." Sam held the chest piece over his heart and she was sure she had just heard a murmur. And with each thump it came again and again. "We'd better take you to the hospital." Sam said worriedly.

* * *

"Tom, Sam's in the staffroom with Daniel and she's asking for you." Fletch stated.

"Er, right. Thanks." Tom nodded confusedly as he jogged through to the staffroom where he found his son hugging his mummy. "Hey, not that I'm glad to see you but why're you here?" Tom asked. "Is his cold getting worse?"

"I've just spoken to Connie and she's gonna come and see Daniel in a minute. I heard a heart murmur." Sam stated worriedly and Tom's heart, ironically, skipped a beat at the news.

* * *

"So what seems to be the problem?" Connie asked clinically as she pulled the curtain around a cubicle where little Daniel was sitting upright on the bed and occasionally coughing as he played with his border collie plush toy and both parents stood worriedly overlooking their child.

"Um, he's had a bad cold for the last four days so I used my stethoscope to check for a chest infection and that was clear but I could hear a heart murmur." Sam explained disjointedly.

"I see and has anything like this been picked up at his routine appointments with your doctor?" Connie asked as she put her hand on her stethoscope to warm the chest piece up because she knew children hated a cold chunk of metal being put on their chest and she was always kinder and more sympathetic to children than adults.

"No, nothing at all." Tom stated. As much as he sometimes disliked the woman, she was helping their son when technically Daniel should've been taken to his doctor so he was giving her a break.

"Alright well try not to worry too much. Heat murmurs can be caused by a number of things, or it could just come and go and not cause a problem at all." Connie stated. "It's Daniel isn't it?" Connie smiled at the infant and slowly Daniel nodded. "Okay Daniel, I'm just going to use my stethoscope on you, could you just take nice deep breaths for me I know you're probably not feeling very well but it'll be over before you know it." Connie requested before she placed the chest piece on his chest. She listened intently for a long minute in several places before she stood up properly and allowed Daniel return to playing with his favourite toy.

"Well?"

"There's definitely a heart murmur there. Really, he should be sent through his GP and then to a cardiologist but I suppose working in an ED has it's benefits so I'll perform an ECG on Daniel, and then possibly an ultrasound. Though I will have to admit him here as a patient. He is sounding a little wheezy because of the cold so if someone asks, just say you brought him in because of breathing difficulties. Okay." Connie nodded.

"Thanks." Sam said gratefully as the consultant walked away.

* * *

After what seemed like forever which was really only around an hour after Daniel's tests, Connie came back into the cubicle and closed the curtains behind her; it didn't look like the news was going to be good.

"Now you know I don't like to beat about the bush so I'm just going to tell you straight out... Daniel has what's called an atrial septal defect. Have you heard of it before?"

"Yeah, but I don't know a lot." Tom replied.

"My son's got a hole in his heart?" Sam gasped.

"I'm afraid so yes. But you must understand that in most cases, ASDs are diagnosed and treated successfully with few or no complications." Connie stated.

"But that still means he's going to need an operation?"

"Possibly. Now I'll have to refer you to a paediatric cardiologist and it depends on what type of defect it is. But Daniel might need a keyhole operation, or he might need cardiac catheterisation which would only need a small incision in the groin or his arm and no major surgery or - worst case scenario - there is a chance that he may need open heart surgery. Then after his treatment, he'll be on a low dose of aspirin to prevent blood clots for about six months." Connie explained.

"Mummy, I don't understand." Daniel stated in a hoarse voice.

"I'll explain everything to you later sweetheart, you just ignore us for now." Sam said reassuringly as she placed her hand on his back.

"I'll refer you to a paediatric cardiologist now. He's one of the best in the country and I'd trust him with my daughter's life."

"Thanks Connie." Tom said quietly.

"You're more than welcome." Connie said sincerely before she walked away towards the nurses station and picked up the phone.

* * *

Sam and Tom felt sick to their stomach as they put their son to bed and tucked him in. Daniel was so innocent and vulnerable that he didn't have a care in the world, except trying to get rid of the nasty cough that he had. Meanwhile his parents felt nauseous at the recent diagnosis.

"Why did, I go hopital today?" Daniel asked slowly - he always mispronounced hospital and kissed the 's' out but Sam found it quite cute. And to explain it, Sam sat on the edge of his bed and Tom squatted down besides the bed so that they didn't seem quite as intimidating to him.

"Basically Daniel, you've got an illness, not this cold that'll go in the next couple of days, but you've got an illness which is probably why you get more out of breath when you run than expected. And this illness, won't go away unless you let a doctor help you. And this doctor is basically going to help you get better so you'll stay in hospital for a little while, and then when you come home, you'll be all better." Sam explained.

"Will I be awone?"

"No, of course not." Sam said quickly. "Me and Daddy are going to come and stay with you."

"Like a sleepover?" Daniel asked before he coughed.

"Yeah, just like a sleepover." Sam whispered as she held his hand.

"And you'll have lots of presents and sweets when you are better." Tom added and Sam gave him a sheepish look.

"Now then, you've got tissues there and a cup of water." Sam stated as she nodded to his small colourful bedside table that had a box of dinosaur tissues and a blue plastic cup on it. "If you're not feeling well in the night, come and see me or daddy and we might be able to give you some more of that yummy strawberry medicine that makes you all better." They had taken the baby gate off of Daniel's room in case he wanted his parents in the night but they had kept the gate on at the top of the stairs just in case.

"Yummy? No, it's yucky!" Daniel protested as he shook his head and Tom grinned.

"Right, shall we read you a quick story and then bedtime?" Tom suggested.

"Okay." He nodded and so Tom began reading whilst the infant drifted off. But whilst Tom managed to keep his cool together, Sam's eyes began to water and she felt like she was going to be sick so she made sure Daniel was very sleepy before she silently disappeared into her ensuite bathroom and splashed her face with water to cool her down. Minutes later, Tom came in and put a hand on her back.

"Daniel's going to be just fine." Tom stated. "I know it's scary thinking that he might have to have an operation but he's a strong lad. He's braver than you think." Tom stated but Sam almost sobbed as she put the back of her hand over her mouth. "Come here." Tom said as he pulled Sam into his arms and once her face was buried into his chest, she let a single tear roll down her cheek. "Hey, we're just lucky that you spotted the murmur this afternoon. If you hadn't have noticed it then he might've had to have had the operation when he's older. And the older he gets, the more he understands and the more apprehensive he'll be. It's best you caught it early... Come on, are you gonna come to bed with me?"

Sam gave a small nod in reply so Tom let Sam go first into the bedroom and they both got under their duvet.

"What if paeds don't let us stay on the ward with him? I hear they're getting really strict with visitors sleeping over and if we don't stay with Daniel then it'll be his first night away from us and he won't like it." Sam asked worriedly a few minutes after they had begun to lay in the darkness.

"Well we can ask them when we have the appointment with Mr Solis in a couple of days. And if they say no, then we've got plenty of money to go private and find somewhere where we _can_ stay with him."

"Okay." Sam nodded.

"Go to sleep. There's no point in getting worked up about it because chances are, they're not going to find him a theatre slot for an elective surgery for a couple of weeks." Tom whispered whilst he wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

**Coming up: It's the day of Daniel's surgery, but what will the outcome be? And Sam makes an astonishing discovery about something that will change the Kent Family forever!**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Friday 5th April 2019**

Daniel, Sam and Tom's 3 and a half year old son, was being driven by his parents to hospital for a cardiac catheterisation to treat the atrial septal defect that he had had since he was a foetus in Sam's womb. He was happily playing in the back with his favourite toy - the black and white border collie toy that had been through the washing machine far too many times - whilst Sam and Tom sat in the front going out of their minds with worry, but they had to remain strong for their child because Daniel wasn't worried one bit, and they wanted it to stay that way.

The cardiac catheterisation meant that Daniel wouldn't be having open heart surgery, he would only have a small incision made into his thigh where a catheter would be inserted into a blood vessel and travel up to his heart, but he would only receive a local anaesthetic; he would be wide awake during the operation. And because the Kent Family worked at the hospital, they had managed to get Daniel's consultant, Mr Solis, to agree to let one of the parents into the operating theatre to keep Daniel calm. But _only_ one parent whilst the other would wait in the gallery watching the op. And because Sam was a nervous wreck, she had persuaded Tom to be the one to go with their son because he was much more likely to remain calm with their son whereas Sam probably wouldn't be able to refrain from appearing like she was about to cry.

Sam and Tom had packed a bag in the back for an overnight stay just in case, but they were hoping that Daniel would be discharged in the evening because if there were no complications, he was supposed to have a very quick recovery because the incision would be so small, almost like a cannula that went into most patient's hands.

"Right. Here we are." Tom announced as he pulled up in the hospital car park - Sam's hands had been shaking too much for her to drive.

"What if I have an accident? Will Dr Solly get mad at me?" Daniel asked timidly as Tom opened the back door and helped Daniel out onto his feet. It was his first time he would be staying somewhere other than his home and the crèche and he was worried about not being able to find the toilet.

"No Daniel, Mr Solis is nice and friendly, remember? And don't worry about having an accident, you hardly ever have one anymore and I'll remind you to go to the toilet every now and then okay?" Sam said as she grabbed the large holdall out of the boot and put it over her shoulder.

"Okay." Daniel nodded.

* * *

Sam could feel her heart beating faster as every minute passed because their son was going to be taken to theatre very soon and Tom was already getting changed into a pair of dark turquoise scrubs so that he could go into the theatre with their son who was in a hospital gown that had zoo animals all over it.

"I like it here." Daniel stated. The children's ward was quite open and airy with plenty of bright colours, ducks on the curtains that separated cubicles and paintings of various animals on the walls.

"Mm, it's very colourful isn't it?" Sam replied as she held his hand.

"Am I going to dead?" Daniel asked and Sam's eyes flew open at how her son could possibly ask such a thing, and how he had worded the question. Usually, she would correct him but it wasn't something that she wanted to repeat.

"No, you're not going to d... Everything's going to be okay. You and Daddy can talk about whatever you want and I'll be watching from not far away, and then when you come back here, there'll be a couple of surprises for you." Sam teased as she had received and bought cards and presents for Daniel saying get better soon etc.

"Don't cry." Daniel pleaded.

"I'm not. My eyes are just a bit watery, I must've gotten something in them." Sam forced a smile and thankfully she hadn't allowed a single tear to fall in front of him, though she had been very close.

"Good. I don't like it when you cry." Daniel stated.

"When do I cry?" Sam asked confusedly.

"I hear you at night sometimes." Daniel stated innocently.

"No darling, I wasn't crying I just... Look, I'm just a little bit stressed at the moment, but by tonight I'll be fine and everything will be alright. And we're all going to have your favourite dinner and a little party in the living room, how does that sound?" Sam asked.

"I feel sleepy." Daniel mumbled.

"Yeah, that'll be the sedative." Sam muttered. He had been given a mild sedative to keep him calm, just like many patients took before they had a MRI to keep them calm.

"How's my cheeky monkey feeling?" Tom asked cheerfully as he arrived with a stupid hospital cap on covering his hair that was the same colour as his and Mr Solis's scrubs.

"He's a bit tired." Sam stated.

"Right, I think we're ready for Daniel now." Mr Solis stated. "Are you ready to go Daniel?"

"Yes Mr Solly." Daniel nodded which caused all three adults to smile.

"Okay then, let's go." He said softly as they began wheeling the trolley away...

* * *

**2pm**

"You look like you're in a trance." Tom said softly as he looked across the bed of his sleeping son to see that his wife had been staring at the boy with a small smile tugging at her lips ever since he had come out of theatre, announced that he was going to have nap and has subsequently fallen fast asleep. "At least it's a happy trance." Tom added. Both were sitting on a chair either side of the bed where their child rested. There was a table across the end of his bed with an untouched stack of greetings cards and a small mound of wrapped presents on it but because Daniel had been so sleepy when he returned the the children's ward, he hadn't noticed them and so they were yet to be opened. There was a also a big blue helium balloon from the ladies in the crèche downstairs because they knew how much Daniel liked to watch balloons float about; it fascinated him.

"Sorry I've been ignoring you a bit lately. It's just..."

"I know, I understand." Tom said reassuringly. "Guess what we were talking about in theatre."

"What?"

"Daniel wants to be a doctor just like mummy and daddy when he's older." Tom grinned. "Admittedly, given a couple of hours he'll have probably changed that to being an astronaut and then a zoo keeper but it's a nice thought isn't it? We could be his mentors one day." Tom smirked.

"I don't think that would be allowed." Sam stated.

"Hehem, sorry to interrupt." Mr Solis announced his presence as he cleared his throat.

"No, it's fine." Tom smiled.

"Well looking at his obs, Daniel should be fine to go home this evening. Now he'll need to take it a bit easy for the next week or two but there's no need for him to be on bed rest or anything like that. And within a fortnight he should be back to normal. Just don't forget to bring him to his follow up appointments where a registrar will just give Daniel a quick check over and an ECG to check that everything is okay." Mr Solis explained.

"I can't thank you enough Mr Solis." Sam said as she rose to her feet and firmly shook his hand.

"As I'm sure you've said before Dr Kent, I'm only doing my job." Mr Solis said wisely. "Now I'd better get on but I will pop over to see Daniel before he's discharged okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Tom said gratefully.

"You're welcome." He smiled before he walked away.

"Mummy?" Daniel croaked as he opened his eyes after awakening from his snooze.

"I'm right here." Sam smiled as she sat back down next to him. "How're you feeling?"

"Hungry." Daniel replied and Tom chuckled before he pulled the table that went over the end of his bed closer until it was hovering over Daniel's lap.

"Why don't you open these?" Tom suggested. He knew that there were some of his favourite sweet treats in there somewhere.

"Are these all for me?" Daniel asked happily.

"Yep. The ones in the green wrapping paper are from me and mummy. And everything else has got a label on it. There's some from uncle Fletch, and there's even a present from some of your friends in the crèche." Tom replied. Daniel giggled before he went straight for the biggest box that was there rather than going for the cards first.

"How did I know you'd chose that one first?" Sam teased as she pulled the curtain around the cubicle because there were other poorly children resting and Sam didn't want to upset anyone else because her child was well unlike so many others on the ward. Daniel ripped the wrapping paper off to reveal a box containing a blue shiny scooter with two wheels at the back to prevent any accidents.

"Can I go on it now?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"Not now no. Maybe when we get home." Tom stated. "Here, I'll put that down here to give you some more room." He added as he lifted the box onto the floor.

* * *

Sam smiled to herself as she began to unpack the bag that she had packed in case of an emergency that they would have to stay overnight for. Tom was playing downstairs with Daniel and his new toys and Sam had already packed their things but when Sam reached her toiletry bag, she realised something. She held the unopened box of tampons in her hands and realised that when she had packed the bag a fortnight ago, she must've thought that she would be on. So she checked the calendar on her phone and realised that she was in fact due 7 days ago, and because her period sometimes lasted 7 or 8 days she had packed them to be on the safe side. She then realised that with the stress of Daniel's procedure, Sam hadn't taken her contraceptive pill in a long time and despite stopping the daily pill, she hadn't started bleeding. In fact, she had had no signs of her period whatsoever. Sam quickly packed the rest of her things away, put her purse in her pocket and pulled a hoodie on before she went downstairs.

"Come on mummy, you're missing the party." Tom stated from the living room where they had some cheerful music on the TV playing and Daniel was zooming around with his new action figure. Even after a minor operation, Daniel felt fine because whenever Sam or Tom changed the dressings for the small stitched incision on his thigh, they never let him see it and he didn't feel any different because of the painkillers.

"Um, I'm just going to take Shadow out for a quick walk okay? Then I'll come and join you and I'll put dinner on too." Sam said as she poked her head around the corner and grabbed Shadow's lead. Whenever Sam or Tom took the dogs out, they would rarely take all four unless they had their spouse with with them just in case so Sam saw no problem with taking only one dog, the most trustworthy with her.

"Yeah okay." Tom nodded so Sam attached the lead to the dog's collar and quickly left the house. Sam felt her heart rate increasing like she was doing something that she shouldn't have been doing, but nevertheless the kept on speed walking towards the local corner shop where she put Shadow's lead around a lamppost.

"Stay... Stay." Sam said slowly and sternly before she ran into the shop and returned moments later with a small blue and white striped shopping bag. She emptied the contents into her hoodie pocket and made her journey back to the house.

* * *

Sam had just washed her hands and was putting dinner on to cook in the kitchen when Daniel came in with a small foam football.

"Ah Daniel, just the man I was looking for. I've got an important task that needs doing. Do you think you're up to it?" Sam asked and Daniel eagerly nodded. "Okay, can you go and give this to daddy please?" Sam asked as she took a white stick with a blue end out of her pocket and handed it to the toddler.

"What is it?" Daniel asked curiously.

"It's just a bit of rubbish, your dad will know what it is." Sam smiled and so Daniel ran off and kicked the football along with him. Slowly, Sam poked her head around the living room door because she wanted to see his immediate reaction.

"Whatcha got there Daniel?" Tom asked.

"Rubbish." Daniel announced as he proudly handed the stick to Tom. It took a few seconds for it to click when Tom turned it over to see the screen. He then looked up to see his wife timidly leaning in the doorway.

"What I... You're serious? Baby number two?" Tom asked.

"You think I'd joke about something like this?"

"Oh my god, this is fantastic!" Tom laughed as he ran over and gave Sam a hug. "How many weeks are you?" He asked as he eventually let her go.

"Five, exactly." Sam stated.

"And I'm guessing that this is why you went out with Shadow, to get this?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I suppose I must've forgotten to take a pill once about three weeks ago and then two weeks after that when I stopped taking the pill completely which I didn't mean to do either, I didn't start bleeding but I was too busy worrying about everything else to notice." Sam explained.

"I don't understand." Daniel stated confusedly as he tugged on Sam's trousers. "What's going on?"

"Er... You're going to have a little brother or sister in a few months." Sam stated nervously.

"Okay. Can I go and play on my scooter now?" Daniel asked as though he had no idea what Sam had just said or he had just ignored her.

"Of course you can, just stay where we can see you." Sam ordered so Daniel ran into the back garden, picked up his discarded scooter and began going up and down the patio leaving Sam and Tom to celebrate their special moment together.

"This is so bloody amazing!" Tom laughed.

"What if he or she has the same atrial septal defect as Daniel?" Sam asked worriedly as soon as the thought had popped into her head.

"One: the odds of that are very low, and two: if they do, then we know how well the surgery works don't we." Tom stated. "Don't focus on that. Focus on the fact that we're having another baby!" Tom laughed and Sam couldn't help but smile. "If you could pop it out a bit quicker than last time though, that would be great." Tom joked sarcastically.

"Ooh. No periods for at least 9 months again." Sam said happily.

"No but there's certainly a lot more hormones on the way."

"You love me really." Sam smiled. "Daniel didn't seem to care though." Sam said disappointedly.

"That's because he was too excited for his scooter. Besides, maybe it's a bit too early to explain it to him at the moment. Maybe we should leave it until you're actually showing so he can understand where his baby brother or sister is."

"Perhaps." Sam nodded in agreement. "Please let this one be a girl."

"And then we could have her middle name as Samantha just like Daniel's is Thomas. Hey. I've just realised, now you've got an excuse as to why you've been crying in the night for the last week!" Tom laughed.

"I was crying because our son was having surgery on his heart today." Sam argued.

"Yeah but I bet that you wouldn't have cried if you weren't pregnant." Tom stated and Sam shrugged as she supposed that he was probably right. "Did you put dinner on?" Tom asked.

"Oh no, I got distracted." Sam admitted.

"Shall we just order a takeaway? Daniel will be just as happy, if not happier that you're not cooking." Tom suggested.

"You're one to criticise about cooking." Sam remarked. "But remember from last time, nothing with hard boiled egg." Sam retorted and Tom laughed as he went into the kitchen to get the menus.

* * *

Sam was just pulling the square white plaster that had been covering five steristrips on her son's thigh off whilst Daniel laid down in bed and Tom had just read him a bedtime story.

"Ow mummy."

"I know it hurts but, look. All done now." Sam stated as she held up the plaster and then she put it in the small bedroom bin. "Right, just leave it to heal okay don't go playing with the stitches." Sam said sternly a she pulled his pyjama bottoms up and then pulled his duvet over him. "Night night." Sam whispered before she pecked him on the forehead.

"Night Daniel." Tom smiled as he did the same and then they switched his light off and both went to their bedroom. "I still can't believe that you're pregnant again." Tom grinned as he stripped down to his boxers.

"No, neither can I." Sam admitted. "I don't feel any different."

"Well I'm sure Shadow already knows. She's probably already thinking up how to protect you and our baby from me." Tom smirked.

"Oh yeah. Remember last time she nearly bit your hand off when you tried to touch my bump?" Sam laughed.

"Funnily enough, yeah I do remember that." Tom said sarcastically as he climbed into bed and Sam then got in next to him before they turned the lights out.

"I'm so glad Daniel's okay now." Sam whispered.

"I know. Now there's not as much stress on you and my baby." Tom smiled as he wrapped his arms around her abdomen and rested his hands where, just centimetres below, his second child nestled in his wife's womb.

"I kind of prefer babies not being planned; there's so much less pressure than there is if you planned a pregnancy and then you just wished that the test would be positive."

"Yeah, and I prefer finding out from my son giving me a pregnancy test. That was so cute." Tom chuckled.

"I only did that because I didn't know how to tell you myself." Sam admitted.

"What? Are you incapable of saying 'Tom I'm pregnant'?" Tom joked.

"No I just... I didn't want to say it so bluntly like that but I didn't know how else to phrase it other than 'I've got a bun in the oven.'"

"So if you're five weeks now, when must your due date be roughly?"

"Friday 29th November." Sam said quickly. "I already worked it out." She added. "Though if this one is anything like Daniel, they'll be a week late." Sam stated bluntly.

"Are you gonna breastfeed again?" Tom asked softly.

"Definitely."

"And are you going to want a home birth again?"

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind delivering your second child." Sam smiled and Tom grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

"It would be my pleasure."

"Though I am a bit intrigued by a water birth." Sam admitted.

"Oh here we go! Are you just trying to have the most uncommon types of birth?" Tom laughed.

"No, I'm trying to experience the most pleasant birth and I did last time. I just think I might be able to manage the pain a bit better in the water. I'm pretty sure you can rent these pool things to put in your living room and then you could be in the water with me."

"What about Daniel? Are you going to want him there?" Tom asked.

"Um... I don't know. We'll have to speak to him a bit later on when he understands what's going to happen. Now shut up, I wanna get to sleep."

"Great, the hormones have started already." Tom chuckled.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam experiences morning sickness, and a trip the park is never uneventful for the Kent Family when Daniel's life is put in danger by a rogue dog. Who will step up and protect him? And will there be consequences? **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	39. Chapter 39

**Saturday 20th April 2019, 7am**

Sam was just ensuring that Daniel was safe as he stood on a step whilst he washed his hands at the sink in his parent's ensuite bathroom after using the toilet. At 7 weeks pregnant, she was battling debilitating morning sickness but she was trying not to let it affect her relationship with her son because she didn't want Daniel hating the new baby before it was even born and she could hardly say no to getting out of bed when Daniel had come and woken her up, asking if she could take him to the toilet.

"Thank you." Daniel said as he stepped down onto the floor in his blue pyjamas.

"You're welcome." Sam sighed.

"Mummy, are you okay?" Daniel asked worriedly as he turned around to see his mother holding her hand over her mouth.

"I'm fine Daniel, just go back to-" Sam stopped as she swiftly turned around and vomited into the toilet. Admittedly she felt a bit better just moments after being sick, but she was still nauseous and she turned around to see that her son was not there. "Daniel?" Sam croaked worriedly as she wiped her mouth. She wondered if she had scared him because he had never seen anyone but himself vomit before and it certainly wasn't going to be comforting seeing his mother in such a state. She ran out of the bathroom and through her bedroom until she found Tom kneeling down on the landings and he was talking softly to his son who looked extremely frightened. "Daniel I'm sorry." Sam said sincerely.

"It's alright, I've got this. Go on, you go back to bed." Tom said softly.

"You sure?" Sam asked and Tom nodded so she slowly turned around and went back to the bathroom so that she could rinse her mouth out in the sink and flush the toilet. After taking some deep breaths, Sam felt a little better but she still wasn't 100% so she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Sam? You okay?" Tom asked as he entered his room and sat down on the bed besides his wife.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry I didn't go and stay with you but I just caught Daniel running out when I heard you being sick."

"No it's fine, I'm glad you went with him. He's getting more and more mischievous and one of these days I'm scared he's going to unlock the child gate and run down the stairs by himself." Sam joked halfheartedly.

"Well Daniel's just 'making his bed' and then he's going to come downstairs with me and make you some breakfast so what do you want? Dry toast? Or I could do you some boiled eggs." Tom suggested cheekily.

"From now on, eggs are banned in this house unless they're being fried with bacon." Sam said sternly. "I could do with some porridge if you're offering. With a bit of honey and some banana on top."

"Okay. Coming right up." Tom stated as he stood up.

"But make it with boiling water. I think boiled milk might be a bit too sickly for me at the moment."

"Okay. Come on, you get back into bed."

"No, I'm fine. I'll come downstairs with you guys. I don't want Daniel thinking the baby is making me ill. Besides, I'm not tired." Sam stated as she stood up and then pulled her thin black dressing gown on and followed Tom to the landing where Daniel was waiting patiently for his father and appeared shocked when he saw his mother. "I'm sorry Daniel, I didn't mean for you to see that." Sam apologised again.

"It's okay. It not your fault. It Blueberry's fault." Daniel replied innocently.

"Blueberry?" Sam asked confusedly.

"Er, that's my idea on that one. I looked it up and at the moment, our baby is the size of a blueberry and I thought it'd make it much easier for Daniel to understand that there's a baby in your womb if we give him a rough estimate of how big they are every week or so." Tom admitted.

"So you wanna call my bump, blueberry?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah! Blueberry!" Daniel giggled as he clapped his hands together.

"Well... Blueberry it is. Now chop chop with my breakfast because my stomach is empty at the moment." Sam ordered and both boys rushed down the stairs before Sam padded down too. She sat at the breakfast bar whilst she watched Tom lift Daniel up and sat him on the counter whilst he got a saucepan out to make porridge.

"Right, do you think that you can slice a banana up for mummy?" Tom asked as he moved Daniel's step, which was really an upside down toy box, next to the kitchen counter so that Daniel could stand on it and reach the top of it; he was too small to reach the side without it.

"Yeah." Daniel nodded confidently so Tom gave Daniel a banana on a chopping board with one of his blue plastic knives before he began making the porridge in the saucepan.

"Are you alright peeling that Daniel?" Sam asked and Tom looked down to see that the toddler was struggling to open the skin.

"Here, let me give you a hand." Tom stated as he made a small opening and let Daniel do the rest. Soon, Tom served up a bowl of steaming porridge to his wife. And on top was a mixture of thick, thin and wonkily cut banana and a drizzle of honey.

"Thank you, this looks lovely." Sam said because she knew Daniel was awaiting her approval. "Mm. That is really nice, thank you Daniel and daddy." Sam said meaningfully and Daniel appeared very pleased with the praise.

"Right, what do you want for breakfast Daniel?" Tom asked as he lifted his son up and sat him down at the breakfast bar on the rounded seat besides his mother. "How about a slice of toast with marmite and a nice yogurt?"

"Can I make the milkshake thingy?" Daniel asked.

"What milkshake thingy?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Oh he saw it on the TV the other day. If you mix petit filous with some milk and stir it, it's supposed to taste like a milkshake." Sam explained. "Go on, he needs to have some milk today; it's not going to do him any harm."

"Okey dokey. One slice of toast and one milkshake coming up." Tom announced as he turned around.

* * *

Sam, Tom and Daniel were playing football with a small goal that they had made out of Sam and Tom's coat in the middle of their local park. Meanwhile, Shadow, Alex, Zoe and Panda were also trying to join in and Sam was having some fun with trying to pass the ball to Tom without any of the dogs getting it which was a tricky choice.

"You're a really good goalkeeper Daniel." Tom stated - he and Sam had been taking it very easy with him and pretending that he was excellent at saving the goals but really, they were just tapping the ball with their foot and aiming for their son's feet anyway (he wasn't quite at an age where he realised that they weren't playing their best which of course, probably would've resulted in several broken bones.)

"I know." Daniel nodded.

"He's got his father's modesty." Sam laughed when suddenly, it appeared that something had fallen out of the sky and landed at Daniel's feet and it took them a few minutes to realise that it was a tennis ball. "What the...?" Sam trailed off, when suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

"Mummy." Daniel cried out as he saw the giant dog bounding towards him at a ridiculous speed, who had his teeth out. But the boy was frozen out of fear and wasn't moving.

"Daniel!" Tom shouted as he went to run towards his son but there was no way that he'd make it in time. Suddenly, the humongous Great Dane was stopped in his track as a border collie barged into it and began growling and biting the attacker but Sam and Tom weren't focussed on that, they were too busy with running after Daniel and as soon as Tom reached him he lifted his boy up and held him against his chest. "It's okay Daniel I've got you." Tom said reassuringly and Sam placed her hand on his back before it dawned on her - it wasn't just any old dog. It was the Great Dane that Shadow had protected Sam from before when she was pregnant years ago on their walk on Christmas Day.

"Get off!" A man shouted as he dragged the border collie off of his dog but the border collie wouldn't budge until Sam whistled and all of her dogs came over and stood with her. It had been Zoe, the youngest dog, that was protecting Daniel from the dangerous dog.

"You idiot! Your bloody dog could've knocked my son out the way he was running at him!" Sam shouted as he approached the man whilst Tom stood with Daniel in his arms and the faithful dogs surrounding him.

"Excuse me? Your dog just bit me and look what he's done to my dog!" The man shouted as he pointed to his Great Dane that had spots of blood on it's back.

"You don't remember do you?" Sam asked.

"Remember what?"

"You don't remember that four years ago when I was pregnant with my son, who is currently crying his eyes out at the moment, your dog nearly attacked me in this very park on Christmas Day and for a split second, I thought that I was going to lose my baby until my dog protected me. You shouldn't even be allowed a dog that size, let alone the fact that it's off of it's lead and you threw the tennis ball literally at my son's feet where there was quite clearly a family playing football." Sam argued.

"That's got nothing to do with that, that was years ago. Right now, this is about your dog attacking mine." He stated firmly.

"Mummy." Sam turned around to see her son with tears dripping down his face as he reached his hand out for her. Sam just blanked the man and walked over to comfort her distressed son. "I'm sorry." Daniel sobbed.

"Hey, don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong." Sam said softly as she stroked his hair backwards and then placed a kiss on his forehead.

"So this is it? We're just going to leave this?" The man asked angrily.

"Why? What do you want me to do? Call police for you? Look if your dog ever comes near my family again, I will be taking further action." Sam threatened.

"Come on boy." The man whistled and the dog began walking away with it's owner whilst Sam settled her son.

* * *

**Sunday 21st April 2019, 10am**

The next day, Sam was just beginning to stop seething about what had happened in the park the previous day when the door knocked. She locked the dogs in the living room using the baby gate and she knew Tom was playing with Daniel in the garden so she opened the door to find two policemen standing on her driveway. Great. More stress for Sam and her unborn baby.

"Hello there Miss.."

"Mrs Kent." Sam corrected.

"Mrs Kent, sorry. I'm Chief Constable Marks and this is Constable Simons. We were just wondering if you own any black and white border collie dogs." One of them began.

"Is this about what happened in the park yesterday?" Sam asked.

"Yes it is Mrs Kent. We would like to informally question you about the incident after it has been reported to us that you are in the possession of a dangerous dog. Of course if this is found to be true, owning a dangerous dog is an offence and the dogs in question will need to be dealt with."

"Dealt with? You mean put down?" Sam asked angrily.

"Yes Mrs Kent."

"If any dog should be put down it's the man's Great Dane." Sam argued.

"Sam?" Tom questioned as he came to the door with Daniel on his hip.

"Policeman Plod!" Daniel giggled.

"Sorry, he's been watching too much Noddy." Tom stated humorously. "What's going on?" Tom asked.

"We would like to conduct an informal interview with you, your wife and possibly your son about what happened yesterday Mr Kent. Could we come in?" Chief Constable Marks asked.

"Er, yeah sure." Tom nodded as he opened the door and reluctantly Sam went through opened the baby gate and went into the living room where the four dogs were either rolling around, licking their cost clean or playing with a chew toy. Sam felt that there was no harm in having the dogs there so that they could see that the dogs were no threat to them so the two police officers sat on one sofa, Sam and Tom sat on another and Daniel sat on the carpet and picked up a dog brush and began brushing Shadow's fur.

"Right, first of all. I'd like to hear from your son if possible because he's less likely to copy an answer from you if he goes first."

"Mummy am I in trouble?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"And why would you be in trouble young man?" Constable Simons asked curiously as he sat with a notepad at the ready.

"Because I didn't run away when the big dog came. I did try, honest I did but I was stuck."

"Okay. And what's your name?"

"Daniel." He replied. Sam was livid at the fact that they hadn't even asked permission if they could interrogate her son, who was only three years old. She didn't want to protest in case the officers thought that she had something to hide, but she felt that she had no choice.

"Please, do you have to ask him about this?" She sighed. "He had nightmares last night and woke up screaming. I just want him to forget all about it." Sam pleaded.

"Is this true Daniel?" Constable Marks asked.

"Yeah and then I had to sleep in mummy and daddy's bed." Daniel admitted as he continued to groom Shadow's fur with the brush. "Mummy and Daddy made me feel safe."

"Right. Daniel, could you describe what happened yesterday from start to finish please?"

"Well Mummy took me to toilet but then mummy was sick and-"

"Daniel, I think he means what happened at the park mate. Not your entire day." Tom stated and Sam hung her head in shame as she felt the officers eyes looking at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry if you're unwell Mrs Kent."

"I'm not. It's morning sickness." Sam admitted.

"Carry on Daniel." Tom prompted.

"Well I in goal because I'm a really great goalkeeper. And next a little yellow ball-"

"Tennis ball." Tom interrupted.

"Yeah, that." Daniel nodded. "Landed in front of me. I confused but next I saw a really big dog running really fast towards me and it scared me but then Zoe saved me and daddy cuddled me. Mummy had an argument with the man. And then we went home." Daniel explained slowly and disjointedly as he stuttered slightly because he had said quite a lot compared to his usual short sentences.

"When you say Zoe saved you, who do you mean?" Constable Marks asked.

"That Zoe. Who else?" Daniel asked innocently as he pointed to the border collie sitting in the corner licking her paws to clean them.

"Right. Thank you very much Daniel. Now can we ask that you, Mrs Kent remain quiet whist I ask your husband some questions please?"

"Yep." Sam huffed as she leant back on the sofa and Daniel came up and sat next to her. Finally, after Tom had answered all of the questions, it was Sam's turn and her mind was bursting with things that she wanted to say - she was sure that she, nor Zoe, had done no wrong. And she was going to prove that the Kent Family were innocent.

"Now Mrs Kent. From start to finish, can you please describe the incident please."

"I can. But just before I do that, I need to tell you about the first incident that was involved with this man's dog."

"There was another incident?" The office asked.

"Yep. On Christmas Day of 2015, I was pregnant with my son, and me and Tom were walking through the park when the man's Great Dane came bounding towards me across the park. I was only four or five weeks gone so I was being very cautious of the time because I was worried about everything going wrong. But that dog scared the life out of me, and if Shadow hadn't have protected me, Daniel probably wouldn't be here. And just to make this clear, there was actually no physical contact between Shadow and the other dog, she just chased the Great Dane off and then came back to me. The owner apologised to me, and told me that there was nothing that he could do because his dog just jumped out of the boot." Sam explained. "So his dog was at fault there. Then yesterday, the tennis ball landed in front of Daniel. I heard Daniel cry out 'mummy' and I followed Daniel's eyes to see that he was watching that very same Great Dane running as fast as it possibly could towards him. Now if Zoe hadn't have intervened, that other dog would have definitely knocked my son over, and he had heart surgery about three weeks ago. His heart could've been damaged again before it had healed." Sam stated as she tried to pull on their heart strings. "All Zoe did, to my knowledge, was bite the Great Dane once on the side to stop it from running, and then he bit the man when he tried to separate the two dogs, but she didn't withdraw blood on the man. Now one little bite, to me, isn't an act of aggression. She was protecting my son. And I'd understands you investigating a dangerous dog if Zoe had bitten the dog several times, but it was only the once. Please, you can't put my dog down." Sam pleaded. "I'm sorry I can't do this." Sam put her hand over her mouth as her eyes were welling up and she ran out of the room leaving poor little Daniel to appear confused.

"Sorry. Her hormones are all over the place at the moment." Tom admitted.

"Is mummy crying?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"No, she's just a bit upset mate. She'll be fine in a couple of minutes." Tom said reassuringly.

"Well, we'd best get going Mr Kent. But I'm afraid this isn't over. We'll have to hand over what we know to an animal specialist in the police force, and they'll decide if Zoe is a dangerous dog or not. If she is considered dangerous, I must warn you. She will be put to sleep."

* * *

**Saturday 27th April 2019**

Sam rarely let Daniel watch the TV but just for once, she was letting him sit with a cup of water and watching his favourite program because Sam really needed some space to herself. She was 8 weeks pregnant, and the last thing that she needed was stress. But Sam was far from relaxed as she awaited Tom's arrival home from the vets, where he would bring home Zoe's ashes. After the dog had been deemed dangerous, animal control had come around, barely given Sam time to say goodbye and then taken her to a clinic where she was humanely put to sleep. And then cremated.

Sam had been trying to hold herself together for Daniel as she sat on the sofa with him on the carpet in front of her. But even though she had managed to hold back the tears, she still felt so awful. She had been given the chance to appeal, but the appeal was not processed by the police quick enough to save the poor dog's life. Sam had a huge lump in her throat that wasn't budging and she felt so very sick - it was midday and she knew it wasn't the morning sickness. It was guilt that she hadn't done anything more - but in reality, unless she had hidden Zoe and given a stray border collie then she couldn't have saved her life.

She jumped as the door clicked open and Daniel was mesmerised by the TV so Sam got up and went to the front door where Tom stood with a purple collar in his hand, and a small, wooden, cuboid box with two small paw prints on top, containing the ashes of one of their family members.

"Now, do you want to keep these? Or do you want them scattered somewhere?" Tom asked softly.

"We're not scattering them; she deserves to stay with us." Sam mumbled as she took the box and collar and held them herself. "I'm going to bed." Sam mumbled before she tiptoed up the stairs with the ashes and disappeared.

Tom sighed. It was only 10am so she certainly wasn't going to sleep. He presumed that she just wanted some time by herself so he left her to it and went into the living room where his son was watching the TV.

"Daniel, what do you want to do today?" Tom asked. "Do you want to go to the park? We don't have to go to that park, we can go somewhere else if that's what's worrying you." Tom said kindly as he switched the TV off. His son had been scared to go to the park ever since the incident and if had been over a week now.

"Is Bean making mummy sick again?" Daniel asked. The foetus was the size of a kidney bean at week eight so that was what he called his little sibling and he wondered if that was why his mother seemed so distant from him.

"No. Mummy's not sick. Mummy's just sad about Zoe, and she needs some time to herself to think things through so why don't me and you go out for the day to give her a break eh?" Tom suggested as he tussled his hair.

"How can I make mummy happy?" Daniel asked sorrowfully.

"There's nothing you can do I'm afraid. Mummy just needs some time to herself so the best thing that you can do is just leave mummy alone for a little while. Okay?"

"Okay." Daniel nodded. "Can we do a puzzle together?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, of course we can. I used to be the expert at puzzles when I was younger." Tom lied proudly and Daniel smiled as he ran over to his toy box in the corner and picked out a puzzle box of the hardest difficulty that he owned - a 150 piece puzzle of the map of the world. "Let's get cracking."

* * *

Tom hesitated outside of his own bedroom as he stood with a mug of hot chocolate for his wife who had not made a sound all day. All he had heard was the ensuite toilet flush a couple of times, but she had been in the bedroom until 4 in the afternoon and Tom was getting worried. After thinking about it for ages, Tom gently knocked on the door and after a couple of silent seconds he opened the door to enter the room that was quite dark because the curtains had been closed. And Sam laid in the bed that looked far too big for her as she laid under the duvet and cuddled Shadow under there, whom Tom knew had been in the bedroom all day with her.

"Sam... I know food is probably the last thing on your mind right now, but you haven't eaten anything since breakfast sweetheart and I'm worried about you. Kidney bean needs food as well don't forget." Tom said softly as he sat on the bed besides her. "This is going to sound harsh, but you've already lost Zoe from factors out of your control. You don't want to lose our child as well do you?"

"Of course I don't." Sam mumbled.

"Well then tell me what you want for lunch slash dinner and I'll make it for you." Tom ordered but Sam didn't reply as she continued to gently stroke Shadow under the duvet. "Daniel misses you by the way. He thinks it's his fault that you're sad and he thinks that it's his fault that Zoe is done because she was protecting him. And I think he needs to hear it from you that it's not his fault."

Sam slowly sat up after hearing that and ran her hands over her face before she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Tom please. I'll tell Daniel that tomorrow, just let me be by myself today. Kidney Bean isn't going to die because I've missed one meal, and it's not as if I'm starving because I've had some of those ginger biscuits I had in my bedside table for morning sickness. Look, I'll be a new person tomorrow. Just leave me alone." Sam mumbled as she began to tear up so she laid back down again and pulled the duvet up to her chin.

"Do you want me to sleep downstairs tonight?" Tom asked.

"No. Just... Don't expect me to be talkative." Sam sighed.

"Alright. Bit I'm still going to bring you up some soup in a little while." Tom said sternly. He made his way to the door when suddenly, she spoke again.

"Make it tomato. I can't stand any of the chicken soup crap that you like."

"Okay." Tom smiled before he left the room.

* * *

**Coming up: In the ED, Tom is too worried about his wife's depressed behaviour to take notice of his own health. Later on, he is found collapsed in the men's toilets. But what's wrong with Tom?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Friday 3rd May 2019**

Tom watched his wife from afar as she leant on the nurses station filling out some forms. She had been so quiet ever since Zoe had been put down and Tom knew that at 9 weeks pregnant, Sam was still feeling nauseous because it was only 9am, but she was managing to work through it. And he was just so worried about Sam losing the baby through stress because during her pregnancy so far, she had had to endure her son being diagnosed with atrial septal defect and then having a heart operation and not long after that she had had the fright of her life when Daniel was nearly bulldozed down by that irresponsible owner's dog in the park, and then she had been kicking and screaming when they came to take Zoe away and Tom had to restrain her.

That was a _lot_ of stress that had all occurred in just a few short weeks. And not one bit of it was doing any good for their unborn child.

"Ah!" Tom gasped quietly as he grabbed his abdomen where there was a sharp, stabbing sensation but it went almost as fast as it came so he presumed it was just a muscle cramp, nothing to worry about. He gave Sam one last glance before he went to see his next patient.

* * *

**Midday**

Fletch was on his way to the men's toilets to look for a missing patient and after he checked the first few cubicles, it appeared that he had had no luck. But the last cubicle, the disabled one in the corner, had a locked door.

"Mr Davidson? Mr Davidson are you in there?" Fletch asked.

"Fletch." He heard whispered.

"Mr Davidson?" That didn't sound like Mr Davidson to Fletch so he went into the cubicle next to it, stood on the toilet and saw on the floor, was a collapsed doctor. "Jesus Christ! Tom? Tom can you open the door for me please?" Fletch demanded as he got down and stood outside the door. He fiddled with the lock as much as he could but after a few more seconds, the door was unlocked from the inside and, being a disabled toilet, the door swung outwards not inwards. Tom was leaning against the wall, slightly sat up with his legs out in front of him. He had sweat patches under his arm and a small line of moisture down his chest too. Hs face appeared clammy, and his hands were clutching his lower abdomen. "Tom what's going on? What's wrong?" Fletch asked and when he knelt down besides the doctor, he noticed that there was vomit in the toilet bowl. "Was that you? Tom, answer me, was that you?" Fletch demanded.

"Don't... Don't get Sam please... We can't... We can't lose the baby." Tom pleaded through his pants as he tried to desk with the agonising pain.

"What baby? Is she pregnant again?" Fletch asked worriedly.

"Dammit... I thought she'd... Already told you." Tom muttered, he knew how much Sam wanted to tell Fletch and see his reaction and that might've cheered her up a bit.

"Okay well Sam's not my main concern at the moment Tom. I need to get a trolley for you-"

No! No, you- you can't. If Sam sees me-"

"Tom you're burning up, you've vomited and you're in excruciating pain on your lower right hand side, it doesn't take a doctor to work out what's wrong with you." Fletch stated bluntly.

"Appendicitis? I don't know I... I did an ultrasound and..."

"And what did it show?"

"I couldn't find my appendix. It must be behind my liver." Tom muttered. "I did a urine test too but it was clear so it's... It's not a UTI."

"Tom I need to get you out of here and you don't want me to get you a trolley. What do you want me to do?" Fletch asked exasperatedly. "Hang on. How about I ring Robyn and ask her to take Sam to the cafe?" Fletch suggested. "Even in a mood, Robyn's too nice for anyone to say no to and that way, Sam'll be out of the way and we can get another doctor to look at you."

* * *

"Right, that's Sam out of the way." Fletch stated he put his phone in his pocket. "Let's get you a trolley-"

"No. Fletch, I can walk. Just give me a hand up." Tom ordered and Fletch reluctantly put Tom's sweaty arm around his shoulders and he pulled him up. "Why now? This is the worst possible time to be ill." Tom groaned as he stumbled through the toilets towards the door.

"Well, it's not your fault so don't blame yourself."

"I wasn't." Tom replied bluntly.

"Any preference on doctor?" Fletch asked as he paused at the door.

"Zoe. I hate Connie and Ash has got a cold which I don't particularly want at the moment. I think I'm suffering enough."

"Why do you hate Connie? I thought she helped Daniel with the ASD."

"Yeah, she did but she's trying to take Zoe's job and I don't think that there's anybody except Guy Self, who wants her in charge."

* * *

"Zoe, I need to to take a look at something." Fletch said quietly.

"What is it Fletch? If you haven't noticed I'm quite busy at the moment."

"We've got a doctor down." Fletch said delicately; he was trying to keep Tom's case low key to prevent Sam from finding out which was why Tom was currently in a curtained cubicle after Fletch had given him some pain relief.

"Right." Zoe said questioningly as she followed the nurse and he pulled the curtain aside a little bit so that Zoe could walk in. "Tom?"

"It's appendicitis. He's got a fever of 38.6°C, severe abdominal pain, he's nauseous and he's been sick a couple of times in the last few hours." Fletch explained.

"Okay Tom, can I palpate your abdomen?" Zoe asked.

"You won't be able to feel it." Tom muttered. "I did an ultrasound already, I think my appendix is behind my liver." Tom stated and Zoe nodded.

"Well that's not terribly uncommon. I think the best thing to do is transfer him up to Keller." Zoe said to Fletch. "And er, where's Sam? Do you want me to page her?"

"No!" Tom said immediately. "No, you can't. She doesn't need any more stress. Please you can't tell her." Tom pleaded.

"Why not? Tom you're probably going to need an operation sooner rather than later, Sam's bound to find out." Zoe stated.

"I know but I just want to wait until I'm not as sweaty and the pain relief kicks in because I don't want to worry her." Tom stated. He had already told Fletch about the baby without Sam's permission, he didn't want to tell Zoe too.

"Alright well, I'll get the transfer sorted out." Zoe nodded confusedly before she left the cubicle.

* * *

**5pm**

"Sam, just before you go and get Daniel, can you come with me quickly?" Fletch asked as he found the wearied doctor in the staffroom and she had just pulled her coat on.

"Well it depends if you've seen Tom or not because I can't find him and his phone goes straight to voicemail." Sam replied.

"Just trust me." Fletch said as he grabbed Sam's handbag from the locker and took Sam's hand as he guided her out of the staffroom.

"What's going on? Why are you holding my bag for me? You haven't been this... This _helpful_ since I was pregnant with Daniel." Sam stated confusedly. "Tom told you didn't he?"

"It might've slipped out his lips, yeah." Fletch grinned as he took Sam into the lift. "Congratulations though, I'm really happy for you two." Fletch smiled as he gave Sam a quick hug and then pushed the button to go up. "So how far gone are you?"

"Eight weeks."

"That far already? Wow, you don't look any different. Except for the smile of course. Come on, where's your lovely smile?" Fletch asked but Sam squinted her eyes at him, before she wondered why they were on Keller, an elective surgery ward.

"What's going on?"

"Why don't you ask Tom?" Fletch suggested as he opened the double doors and pointed to a familiar face and Sam noticed her husband sitting up in a bed in a hospital gown. She ran over, narrowly avoided a nurse with a bed pan and then immediately gave Tom a hug.

"Why are you up here? What's wrong?" Sam asked worriedly before she pulled apart and she noticed Tom grimacing where she had hugged him too tightly.

"Don't worry. I've got appendicitis and they've booked me into theatre for 8am tomorrow morning." Tom explained softly and slowly, as he held her hand.

"But what happened? Have you been up here all day? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"He collapsed in the men's toilets, I told Zoe and Zoe referred him up here. He's only been up here for about fifteen minutes or so." Fletch explained as he placed Sam's handbag on the end of Tom's bed. "Listen, I'd better get going but I'll pop up tomorrow morning and see how you're doing." Fletch stated.

"Alright, thanks mate." Tom said gratefully.

"I... I don't know what to say." Sam sighed as she sat down in the chair besides his bed.

"Listen um, there is a little bit more bad news. I've had an MRI and it turns out that I was right earlier, my appendix is tucked right behind my liver. So they can't do the operation by keyhole, it's open surgery... And that means that I might be in here for about a week until I'm discharged." Tom admitted.

"That's fine." Sam said eventually. "We can make it work. Tomorrow and Sunday we can come and see you during the day, and then on weekdays I can pop Daniel up here every morning before he goes to the crèche to come and see you, and then we can spend some time here after work until he gets tired or something. Don't worry Tom, you just focus on getting better." Sam ordered as she squeezed his hand tightly.

"Thanks. So, how're you and the baby?" Tom asked quietly.

"Yeah, thanks for telling Fletch about that by the way." Sam said sarcastically.

"I had to. I'm sorry but I didn't want you seeing me when I'd collapsed because I didn't want you under any more stress and Fletch didn't understand why I wanted you to avoid stress and I had to tell him." Tom explained. "Anyway, how was your trip to the cafe with Robyn?" Tom smirked.

"How do you know about that?"

"Fletch sent her so that he could get me into a cubicle without you seeing." Tom admitted and Sam glared at him.

"I swear sometimes she just doesn't understands how much she rambles on." Sam complained and Tom chuckled. "Right. I'd better go and get Daniel." Sam stated as she stood up and grabbed her bag. "I'll take him home, cook him dinner and pack you a bag then I'll come back in an hour or two so you can spend some time together alright?"

"Yeah, thanks. And could you possibly bring me some food to stash in my bag because I don't think I can survive on hospital food for a week." Tom requested.

"I'll see what I can do. See you later." Sam pecked Tom on the forehead before she got the lift downstairs and jogged to the crèche. The crèche knew Sam and Tom often got caught back at work so they, and Daniel, knew that mummy and daddy would be coming to pick him up anywhere between 5-5:30pm.

"Ah, Mrs Kent." The receptionist smiled. "I'll just go and get Daniel now."

Sam was waiting for a few moments when Daniel came out of a door with one of the staff in a colourful apron behind him carrying his blue rucksack.

"Hello rascal." Sam smiled as she squatted down and gave him a hug.

"Where's daddy?" Daniel asked curiously whilst Sam took his rucksack. "Mummy and Daddy always pick me up together."

"I'll explain everything to you on the way home Daniel. Thanks Claire." Sam said to the carer before she held Daniel's hand, walked him out to the car and strapped him in his car seat. It felt odd for Sam to be driving with no passenger and Daniel in the back but nevertheless, she was determined to make the situation work. "Right. At work today, daddy felt a bit ill. And he was sick. But just like you, daddy's got to have an operation to make him better. Do you remember when you had to go into that big bright room with dad and you had doctors around you?"

"Yes." Sam saw him nod in the mirror.

"Okay well daddy's got to have an operation tomorrow morning. But he's going to be staying in hospital for a few days to get better because daddy's so old and he needs longer to recover." In reality it was because Tom was having open surgery and Daniel had had only an incision in his thigh but she didn't have the patience to explain that to Daniel at that moment because he would ask so many questions and Sam was pretty exhausted. "So we're going to have dinner, and then go and see daddy at the hospital. But he's going to sleep overnight in the hospital for a few nights so it'll just be you and me at home tonight." Sam explained.

"Does that mean that, I can sleep in daddy's bed tonight?"

"Only if you don't tell daddy." Sam smiled.

* * *

As soon as the lift doors on Keller opened and Sam opened the big double doors, Daniel caught sight of his father in one of the first few beds on the left. He ran straight over and Sam smiled as she strolled over with a black holdall that had Tom's things in it.

"Be gentle Daniel." Sam warned as Daniel used the chair to climb onto the bed and then he gave his dad a hug.

"He's alright. I'm high on morphine at the moment." Tom smiled. "Alright mate? What've you been up to?" Tom asked as he sat Daniel on his lap and Sam sat down on the chair besides them.

"Me and mummy made our own pizzas for dinner!" Daniel said excitedly.

"Did you? That sounds really nice."

"What did you have?" Sam asked curiously.

"Macaroni cheese slop with salad, tapioca pudding and cheese and biscuits." Tom grimaced. "Y'know I thought those sorts of things were just stereotypical but they're actually on the menu here."

"Well there's a few bits in your bag to eat if you get hungry but I'm assuming your nil by mouth soon. But after the op you can eat it and I can always bring some more things in if you want me to." Sam replied.

"Okay, thanks."

"Ew!" Daniel squealed as he covered his eyes whilst Sam and Tom shared a kiss.

"Anyway, how's my little kidney bean?" Tom asked.

"It's not kidney bean anymore, it's grape." Daniel corrected.

"Sorry. How's my little grape?" Tom asked.

"Um- oh dammit. That reminds me I've got my booking appointment tomorrow. Oh well, I'll have to reschedule it-" Booking appointments were usually the first contact between a pregnant woman and her maternity team and it wouldn't require a scan because Sam knew exactly how far gone she was. It would just involve far too many questions that Sam would have to answer.

"No, dont. I can still come with you. It just might be in a wheelchair."

"Tom you probably won't be allowed."

"Well going for walks is encouraged after an operation to prevent blood clots. And I'll be going down to maternity with a doctor taking me. What could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

**Saturday 4th May 2019**

It was the day of Tom's operation and Sam was waiting eagerly for news in the chair in his cubicle, but of course there wasn't a bed there. His bed was in recovery, ready for Tom to come out of theatre. Daniel was sitting on Sam's lap reading a book with just one sentence per page though he referred to just look at the pictures and he wasn't nervous at all, because he was certain that his daddy would be coming back soon. Sam presumed that Tom would be brought back soon because she had been keeping an eye on the clock and she knew that the operation would've finished by now, unless there were complications a which she would've been made aware of.

"Mrs Kent?" A kind nurse enquired.

"Yes."

"I've just been informed that your husband's surgery went very well. There were no problems at all and he's currently in recovery. Now unfortunately, relatives can't go to recovery but as soon as your husband wakes up and his stats are improving, we'll bring him back onto the ward. Okay?"

"Yeah, that's great thanks." Sam smiled as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Is daddy okay then?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, daddy's going to be just fine." Sam said reassuringly whilst the nurse walked away.

At 9 weeks pregnant, Sam's clothes were already tight on her abdomen - people certainly showed quicker with their second pregnancy. But it wasn't obvious as long as Sam chose her clothes appropriately, and she hadn't yet told people at work about the baby because she wanted to keep it a secret for just a little bit longer.

"Daniel, mummy's got an appointment this afternoon about Grape, but it's going to be really boring so are you going to be alright if I take you to the crèche and you stay there for about an hour? I'll come and pick you up and then you can say goodbye to daddy before we go home and have some dinner."

"No. I want to stay with you and daddy." Daniel whined. "Please? I promise I'll behave."

"Okay, if that's what you want." Sam nodded. She knew he would get bored, but at the same time, she wanted Tom and Daniel to spend as much time together over the weekend because during weekdays when Tom was still in hospital, Daniel would hardly see his father until he was discharged.

* * *

**10am**

"Daddy!' Daniel squealed excitedly as Tom was wheeled back onto the ward. The little boy was standing on the chair whilst Sam stood besides him to prevent any falls and Tom was laying flat on his bed in his hospital gown.

"Sshh. I told you to keep it down." Sam warned but she couldn't help but smile.

"What do you think of these new boob implants?" Tom joked sleepily but Daniel appeared confused - Tom had stuffed two upside down cups under his thin sheet on his chest. He had tried to lighten the slightly depressing atmosphere and it had certainly worked. Sam rolled her eyes as he pulled them out.

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked as she tried not to laugh.

"Um, yeah I'm still a bit groggy but not too bad." Tom replied.

"What's groggy?" Daniel asked.

"Groggy basically means sleepy." Sam replied.

"Everything's looking great." Dr Barton smiled as he put Tom's obs file into the holder at the end of his bed. "We are looking at getting Tom onto his feet in the next hour or so and once he is up we can take his catheter out. But the most important thing at the moment is rest."

"Okay, thank you. Listen, I've got my first prenatal appointment down on maternity at 4 o'clock this afternoon. I'm a doctor myself and so is Tom so would it be possible for me to take him down in a wheelchair just so he can attend the appointment with me?" Sam asked optimistically.

"I'm afraid not. I don't want Tom leaving this ward; there's no need for him too." Dr Barton replied.

"But he won't be doing anything strenuous, he'll literally just have to sit in a wheelchair and listen." Sam argued.

"I'm sorry Mrs Kent. But it's too soon after surgery."

* * *

**4pm**

"You're going to miss your appointment." Tom warned. He was being propped up by pillows on his bed whilst Daniel sat in between Tom's feet at the end of it rolling a soft ball gently back and forth between them on top of the cover.

"No I'm not." Sam said smugly.

"Why? Did you reschedule the appointment?" Tom asked curiously.

"Nope. Y'know um, Tess used to be a midwife?"

"Yeah." Tom replied slowly.

"Well she's agreed to come up here and do the booking appointment in this cubicle right here so you won't miss anything. She's going to get my file and my notes from maternity from last time, and then she'll perform the appointment for us. And I've already done a urine and blood test." Sam stated so she pulled a ziplock bag out of her hand bag to show him the two vials, one of pale yellow liquid, the other of bright red liquid.

"When?"

"Er about 4- oh, that's now. I said I'd meet her by the lift so I'll be back in a minute."

Sam hadn't actually told Tess she was pregnant until she spoke to the ex-midwife on the phone earlier that day so Tess had congratulated Sam as she met by the lift on Keller before they headed for Tom's cubicle.

"How's Tom doing?" Tess asked curiously.

"Um. He's not too bad. He's in a bit more pain than I'd like and I'm pretty sure he's hiding it." Sam replied. "But he's certainly looking better than he was yesterday."

"You mean I'm more handsome." Tom corrected cheekily as Sam and Tess entered his cubicle.

"Yeah, you wish." Sam quipped as she sat on the end of his bed and Tess sat on the chair and organised Sam's file and the forms that she had to fill out.

"Right. I'm going to run through the questions. Some of them might seem like I already know the answer because I know you but just answer them anyway just in case." Tess smiled.

"Thank you for doing this by the way." Tom said gratefully.

"No worries. We wouldn't want you to miss your second baby's first appointment now would we? Now first of all, you might think that some of this is a bit silly to repeat it all because you've already done all of this when you were pregnant with Daniel, but I'm afraid we have to repeat it just to make sure that everything is up to date. I think we'll start with your family history Sam-"

"There's nothing on either of our family histories. I left home when I was 16 and Tom never knew his real parents so don't bother with all of those questions."

"Oh right. Okay, well then ignoring that, is there anything about _your_ personal health Sam, that I need to know?" Tess asked.

"Nope."

"And the same for you Tom?"

"Nothing except the appendicitis now, but just add on there that Daniel had an atrial septal defect so we want that to be checked for during later scans." Tom stated and Sam gave a nod in agreement so Tess jotted it down.

"Okay. Now this is a very sensitive topic, have you ever had any miscarriages, abortions or births apart from Daniel?" Tess asked softly.

"No, nothing." Sam shook her head.

"And how was Daniel's birth? Were there any complications?"

"None."

"Alright. This is going to be very straight forward by the sounds of it." Tess gave a small smile. "Now enough about the past, let's focus on this baby now. When was the first day of your last period Sam?"

"1st March."

"Okay. That would make you..."

"Nine weeks. I'll be ten next Friday." Sam stated.

"Alright. Now do you smoke or drink alcohol?"

"I've never smoked, and before I was pregnant I'd only drink maybe one glass of wine a month if we went out for a meal or something and now I don't drink at all."

"Very good. Do you want to attend antenatal classes?"

"Definitely not." Sam replied instantly.

"I thought that would be your response." Tess smiled.

"Really? I was expecting a 'hell no' or 'are you having a laugh?'" Tom smirked.

"And where, if there are no complications, do you plan on giving birth?"

"Ah. Now this is the complicated part. Basically, when I gave birth to Daniel, I gave birth at home with Tom and no midwives, because that's the way I wanted it. And I want to do that again, but as you know the NHS frown upon that so it's best to just put on there that I intend to give birth in maternity downstairs, and then when the baby is born, I'll say we couldn't make it to the hospital."

"You gave birth with just you and Tom?" Tess queried.

"Yep. And it went better than I ever could've imagined." Sam smiled.

"Well I suppose it is relatively safe with both of you being doctors. I'll put down hospital birth. Now, do you want me to explain to you about healthy eating, safe exercise and supplements or do you already know?"

"I've got it covered thanks."

"And I probably already know the answer to this one because I remember you in the staff room with Daniel, but his do you intend to feed your baby when they're born?"

"Breastfeed." Sam stated.

"Okay. Now the physical side of things, did you say you'll do a blood and urine sample for me?"

"Yeah, it's just in... Here." Sam replied as she took out the two sample pots and handed them to Tess.

"Thank you. Now I just need to take your blood pressure-"

"110/80." Sam interrupted. "I took it earlier." Sam admitted.

"Right. Well that's us all done then."

"Mummy, I need a wee." Daniel admitted shyly, almost in a whisper to hide it from Tess who, to him, was a stranger.

"Come on then, I'll take you." Sam smiled as she lifted Daniel down onto the floor and pulled the curtain back.

"Right, I wish you a speedy recovery Tom, and I'll see you at work on Monday Sam." Tess said as she stood up and held the wad of paper in her arms.

"Thanks Tess, bye."

"Can I go in the boys toilets?" Daniel asked as he held Sam's hand.

"No way. You're far too young besides, need help pulling your jeans down and mummy needs to hold you up so that you can reach the sink don't I?" Daniel didn't reply, he just huffed as Sam opened the door for him and then she followed him into a cubicle and closed the door behind him.

"Alright, if you can pull your trousers down, go to the toilet without making a mess or clean up after you if you do, flush the toilet and then pull your trousers and underwear back on properly, I might consider letting you go into a cubicle by yourself from now on." Sam said sternly, though she knew it would never happen and she just had to hope that he would fail because there was no way that she was letting him go by himself for a long time because she knew that he had the tendency to crawl under the toilet stalls and she didn't want him disappearing because he did that one time too many.

"Okay." Daniel nodded eagerly as he lifted his shirt up and tucked it under his chin before he began to fiddle with his belt that he had insisted on wearing becuase it was a blue Thomas the tank engine one. He was there for quite a while whilst Sam smiled to herself as she leant against the door because she knew he couldn't undo that belt; in fact, he couldn't undo any belt, they were all too fiddly and tricky for his little hands. But Sam hadn't expected Daniel to start crying and he folded his arms across his chest.

"Hey, Daniel it's okay. It's not the end of the world if you can't do something. You'll learn how to do it when you're older." Sam said softly as she stood behind him and undid his belt and the top button of his jeans before she stepped back again.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he pulled his clothes down, and Sam always found it funny that Tom would just undo his zipper to go to the toilet, whereas Daniel had to pull his trousers and his underwear all the way down to his ankles before he would even consider going to the toilet.

"Ah ah, wipe the toilet seat clean first, for the next person to use it." Sam ordered once Daniel had gone to reach for the flush handle.

"But Daddy doesn't do it." Daniel protested as he reached up and got some toilet roll. For Daniel to learn how to use the toilet, he had had to go in the toilet at home with Tom.

"I know Daddy doesn't do it." Sam said sternly as she was forever cleaning the toilet seat at home in their ensuite bathroom. "But why don't you wash your hands, and then you can go and tell daddy that he has to wipe the seat clean too?" Sam suggested. "But don't announce it to the whole ward, use your indoor voice." Sam added as she knew he was likely to run in there and shout something silly.

* * *

**Friday 10th May 2019**

Finally, after a week of spending every single hour of each day in hospital, Tom was going home and Daniel was extremely excited. In fact, he was far more excited than Tom had expected but he was happy that his son had missed him.

"I'll take your bags." Sam said sternly as she stopped Tom from opening the boot.

"I'm not an invalid." Tom protested.

"Really? The five inch row of stitches on your abdomen begs to differ." Sam remarked as she took out the two bags belonging to Tom and then she met Daniel and Tom at the front door because she had the keys. "Please just don't push yourself too hard." Sam pleaded.

"I could say the same for you Mrs Pregnant." Tom smirked. "How is grape by the way?"

"It's not grape daddy, it's prune now."

"Since when?" Tom protested.

"Since this morning. I'm 10 weeks today." Sam stated as she opened the door and immediately, Daniel zoomed into the living room.

"Daddy quick, come in here!"

"I'm coming son." Tom shouted. "Are you sure you're alright with carrying those bags upstairs?"

"Yes I'm fine. Now go in there because he's spent a lot of time on this." Sam ordered and Tom frowned before he walked into the living room where the three dogs were wearing silly cone shaped party hats and across the wall were several sheets of paper roughly cellotaped together and across them said '**Welcome home Daddy!**'.

"Wow! Daniel did you paint that all by yourself?" Tom pretended to be blown away by the boys skills despite it being wobbly with blobs of paint everywhere and clear pencil lines that Sam had probably drawn to help him spell the words properly. But the fact that Daniel had done it for him, no matter how messy, was heartwarming.

"Mummy helped but only a little bit, I did most of it. And me and mummy made strawberry jelly and we made some football cakes." Daniel explained proudly.

"That sounds brilliant Daniel, thank you."

* * *

"I haven't tucked my son into bed for a whole week... I forgot how much I enjoyed it." Tom smiled as he carefully got into bed and then Sam stood besides him whilst he let her check his dissolvable stitches on the right side of his abdomen.

"I haven't tucked him in his bed for a week either." Sam stated and Tom's head shot off of his pillow as he looked worriedly at his wife. "Calm down. I said 'his' bed. I told him as long as he didn't tell daddy, he could sleep next to me in my bed and he slept next to me every night you were gone." Sam explained.

"Well I missed sleeping in the same bed as you. As much as I enjoyed not having to fight for the covers in the hospital bed, I did miss being able to sleep with my hands just centimetres away from our unborn child with you in my arms." Tom said as he lifted his hand and placed it on Sam's rounded bump that could be seen clearly in her tight vest that she was wearing to bed. "Having a second baby just seems unreal." Tom smiled.

"It was far too real for me when I spent most of my morning leaning over a toilet bowl." Sam retorted. "But thankfully, I think the morning sickness is beginning to pass. I haven't been sick in the past few days." Sam stated as she placed her hand on top of his on her stomach. "You're stitches are fine." Sam whispered before she went around her side of the bed and got in.

"Listen, I know I said I missed cuddling you but it's far more comfortable for me to sleep on my back rather than my side at the moment so-"

"Tom, it's fine. I understand." Sam said as she flicked the light off. Tom then closed his eyes whilst he felt Sam lay on her side right next to him and she put one arm across his chest, high above his stitches so she didn't hurt him.

"Goodnight Sam." Tom whispered.

"Night night Tom."

* * *

**Coming up: Sam, Tom and Daniel attend the 12 week scan.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	41. Chapter 41

**Saturday 25th May 2019**

Sam, Tom and Daniel were sitting in the waiting room on the maternity ward as they awaited Sam's 12 week appointment and Tom and Daniel were just laughing about the fact that Sam couldn't keep still because she needed the toilet so much, but she had to have a full bladder for her scan.

"If you two don't stop laughing, you can go and wait in the car and I'll go to the scan by myself." Sam threatened as she folded her arms across her chest.

"It's alright, mummy's hand bag is in the car and we can get some money out and then go and buy some sweets." Tom whispered loudly to his son who giggled, whilst Sam rolled her eyes.

"Mrs Kent?"

"Yep."

"Hi, I'm Jean, I'll be your midwife today." A woman smiled as she stood in light purple scrubs.

"Please, call me Sam. Oh and this is my husband Tom and my son, Daniel." Sam explained as they followed the woman to a consult room.

"Nice to meet you all. Now the purpose of today's scan is to check that your baby's size matches your due date, to make sure everything is developing normally and to check that there is just the one in there." Jean said as she closed the door behind her. "You might as well just get on the bed; there's not really much we need to discuss today because you've already had your booking appointment haven't you?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded as she climbed onto the bed that was sat up at a 45° angle. Tom sat in the chair with Daniel on his lap on one side of the bed, whilst Jean sat on the other side where the ultrasound machine was.

"Okay, so your first son had atrial septal defect is that right?"

"Yeah and it was really cool because I got loads of presents for being brave!" Daniel explained proudly.

"Jean's talking to mummy Daniel." Tom said quietly.

"It's alright." Jean smiled. "So I'll check for an ASD on the ultrasound, but unless the ASD is very large, it won't be able to be diagnosed by ultrasound this early which I'm assuming happened in Daniel's case. He wasn't diagnosed until he was about three right?"

"Yeah, he only had it a month ago." Sam stated.

"Oh right, very recent then. Right, let's begin your scan." Jean announced as she switched the machine on and put some lubricant on the transducer whilst Sam tucked a bit of tissue into the top of her skinny jeans that were maternity because her previous skinny jeans were already too tight to do up. And then she pulled her shirt up to reveal a perfect little bump at the bottom of her abdomen which would soon expand up to her ribcage. "Okay, this is going to be cold." Jean warned as she placed the transducer on Sam's abdomen and even though it had been about four years since Sam had been pregnant and had a scan, she could still remember the feeling.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Daniel asked innocently.

"We won't find out for another couple of months Daniel." Sam said softly as she waited for Jean to turn the screen around so that they could see it - the midwife had to do her job and check the foetus before she could show the expectant parents.

"What would you prefer Daniel? A brother or sister?" Jean asked without taking her eyes off of the screen to make conversation.

"I want a brother so I can play football with him." Daniel replied.

"Hey, I'm a girl and I play football with you. What's to say a sister wouldn't play with you either?" Sam asked.

"But you're mummy. You do everything with me. She'd only want to play with silly dolls." Daniel stated and Sam rolled her eyes before she turned back to the midwife.

"Okay, your baby is a good size for their age. Now, as far as I can see, there isn't any sign of an ASD, however like I said, if the defect is small then it won't show up on an ultrasound. But when you have your anomaly scan at around 20 weeks gestation, you'll have more of a certainty as to whether your baby has it or not." She explained. "Are you ready to see your baby?" She asked softly and Tom held Sam's hand as they both nodded. Jean slowly turned the screen around to show a perfect black and white image. They could clearly see the lining of the amniotic sac that contained a pool of black, and one white splodge that was shaped like a baby with a head, belly and then one arm that was sticking up. "It's a very clear picture I must say." Jean stated.

"That's probably because Sam's near wetting herself." Tom chuckled softly as he couldn't take his eyes off of the screen.

"It's beautiful." Sam whispered.

"Daddy. Is that my brother or sister?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah. And what you see on the screen, is what's inside mummy's tummy. So in a couple of months, mummy's going to have a fully grown baby inside of her and she's going to be massive!" Tom said quietly and Sam smiled but she still hadn't taken her eyes off of the screen.

* * *

Sam came out of the consult room with Tom's hand in one of hers, and in the other she held the copy of her scan.

"I'm just gonna to the toilet okay?" Sam said as she noticed that the toilets were right next to them.

"Yep okay-"

"Daddy I need a wee wee." Daniel said as he crossed his legs - when Daniel decided he needed the toilet, it wasn't a request, it was a demand because if he didn't reach a bathroom soon, there would be an accident.

"Alright, I'll meet you out here okay?" Tom said as he pointed by a few seats in the corridor besides them.

"Okay." Sam nodded before she went into the ladies. Tom then walked Daniel into the men's toilets which he hoped were better than shopping centre toilets because they were often busy and dirty - somewhere he didn't like taking his son. Thankfully, they were empty so Tom let Daniel chose a cubicle and because Daniel was perfectly comfortable in the presence of his parents - they always helped to dress or bath him after all - he didn't even close the door before he pulled his trousers and underwear down (which thankfully didn't have a belt on) and he turned around and sat on the toilet seat.

"Couldn't you have waited for that until we got home?" Tom moaned playfully so that Daniel knew he didn't mean it.

"No!" Daniel giggled.

* * *

"I was beginning to think you'd fallen down the toilet. What took you so long?" Sam asked curiously as her husband and son came out of the toilets.

"First he did a poo in the toilet, then he decided that he wanted to use a urinal for the first time and I let him because I thought that it would be better there because there was no one else in there. And then after he'd washed his hands, they've got an electric hand dryer in there that goes blue when it switches on and Daniel quite liked standing under there which is why his hair is all over the place." Tom explained as they began to walk down the corridor.

"And can he use a urinal without making a mess?" Sam asked.

"Of course I can!" Daniel protested.

"Yeah can we get a urinal for our bathroom? Because he makes a lot less mess than he does when he uses the toilet to have a wee." Tom laughed.

"I think they do do toddler urinals actually. I'll look it up when we get home."

"Anyway, how are you feeling today?" Tom asked as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Um, just normal to be honest." Sam replied.

"Yeah? How about we go out for dinner tonight then? My treat and you can chose where we go. Or if you want, we can stay in and I'll cook."

"Um... No I think it'd be nice to go out, we haven't been out for a while because of you and Daniel being in hospital."

"And I've got the scar to prove it!" Tom said proudly.

"So have I!" Daniel chipped in. "Can we go to the Tigger Inn?" Daniel asked. "Pleeeeeease?"

"You mean the Tiger Inn." Sam corrected.

"Daniel, let mummy chose where we go tonight."

"No it's fine. I like the Tiger Inn pub." Sam stated. "And it's a nice day, we can sit outside."

"You do realise that the only reason he wants to go there is because he can remember the play area and climbing frame in the garden right?" Tom said quietly to his wife whilst Daniel ran circles around them as he investigated now fast he could run.

"I know." Sam smiled.

* * *

Sam and Tom were sitting on a clean picnic table in a pub garden which was pleasantly quiet despite it being a Saturday evening because the football season had finished last weekend. It was the beginning of a beautiful sunset and Sam and Tom were sitting next to each other, holding hands under the table as they watched Daniel climb about the large wooden climbing frame and run about on the bark with another young boy that he had made friends with in the last few minutes.

"Thank you for bring me out. This is really nice." Sam smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Mm. And thank you for letting me have a pint." Tom smirked before he took a sip of his alcoholic beverage. "Or two." He added cheekily as Sam had volunteered to drive the family home at the end of the evening. "Daniel, come over here a minute." Tom shouted in a reasonably loud voice and Daniel went down the slide one last time before he ran over to the table and appeared out of breath.

"That's yours for when you want it." Sam stated as she pointed to the fruit shoot on his side of the table. She had ordered it for him because Daniel had ran off before they were even seated, as soon as he caught a glimpse of the play area.

"Thank you." Daniel puffed as he took a sip of it and then reluctantly sat down.

"You can carry on playing in a minute, I just want you to chose what you want for dinner first so we can order it." Tom said as he showed Daniel the children's menu. "Just chose one thing from each of the section and I'm not sure how small the portions are going to be so if you want some more you can have a bit of mine." Tom stared.

"Can I have... BBQ chicken with... Mashed potato and salad please?" Daniel asked politely.

"That's quite a mixture but yeah of course you can." Tom smirked.

"Can I go and play now please?"

"Yeah but be careful on those bars." Sam warned and Daniel ran as fast as he could to the fenced play area that was just a couple of meters from their table. "What're you gonna have?" Sam asked as she looked at the adult's menu that she and Tom were sharing.

"Um.. I'm not sure yet." Tom replied. "What about you?"

"I don't know. I want about twenty dishes on here." Sam admitted and Tom laughed. "What?"

"Well what particular bits do you want to eat?" Tom asked.

"BBQ ribs, gammon, Southern fried chicken, curry, pulled pork and on top of that I want something with a fried egg and bacon." Sam explained and Tom just smiled as he gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"So this so one of your rare 'I don't give a crap about being healthy' moods?" Tom asked.

"Pretty much yeah." Sam laughed at herself as she ran her hand through her long straight hair.

"And how hungry are you?"

"Extremely."

"Right, trust me and I'll order for you." Tom stated as he got up off of the bench and took the menu with him - they had to order at the bar. "You trust me don't you?" Tom grinned as he saw the hesitant look on Sam's face.

"Sometimes." Sam shrugged and Tom smiled as he headed for the play area.

"Daniel, come over here mate." Tom ordered and Tom squatted down on the grass so that he was head height with his son and Sam watched them look at the menu together and talk but she couldn't hear what they were saying. "Good boy." She watched Tom give their son a pat on the back before he ran off playing again whilst Tom headed inside. Five minutes Tom came out with another fruit shoot and then he sat next to Sam again.

"Why have you got that?" Sam asked.

"Because they're only small and the rate that Daniel's running around he's going to need another one soon; this one's nearly empty." Tom stated.

"What were you talking to Daniel about?"

"I said trust me." Tom laughed. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Daniel was sitting at the table after exhausting his energy running about whilst his parents tried to talk to him about the new baby as they were waiting for their pub cooked meals.

"Daniel, what we were thinking, is maybe because you don't use your play room a lot anymore, you would be kind enough to give it to your new brother or sister. Because it's a big room and it's very close to mummy and daddy's room."

"But that's my room." Daniel said sadly.

"We know and you'll still have your bedroom, but the spare room at the moment is too small for the new baby to have and we just think that, like dad said, because you hardly ever use your playroom anymore, you could move your toys into your bedroom and if there's not enough room we can put some in the spare room." Sam explained softly.

"You could help us decorate the new room, we'll need to paint it and put furniture together so you could be my little assistant builder." Tom stated.

"Do I still get play time?" Daniel asked innocently.

"Yeah, of course you do. There's the garden, the living room and your bedroom that you can play in. There's plenty of space isn't there? So are you going to be grown up enough to give up your old playroom?" Sam asked.

"Only if I can be daddy's assistant." Daniel said sternly.

"You're hired." Tom smiled. "Ooh, foods here." Tom smiled as a waiter and a waitress walked over with a plate in each hand. "Just put them in the middle please." Tom requested so they put the four plates of steaming food in front of them and Sam's face lit up. "Thank you." Tom said gratefully as they went away. "Now then, before we all dig in. There is chicken tikka masala with pilau rice and pompadoms, then there's the all day breakfast with two fried eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, mushrooms and sausages. The pork bananza is a plate containing a rack of BBQ ribs, a gammon steak, pulled pork, chips, onion rings and coleslaw. And finally the is a sharing platter of Southern fried chicken goujons, chicken wings, garlic mushrooms, garlic bread and cheesy nachos without the jalapeños to prevent heartburn. All to make mummy and Lime happy." Tom said smugly. There were four adult meals there and only two adults and one child eating but all were hungry, Daniel was a growing lad, Sam was eating for two and Tom could eat anything he wanted and never put on the weight anyway.

"Thank you so much." Sam said gratefully as she twisted to her side and gave Tom a tight hug.

"Can I eat now?" Daniel asked and Sam and Tom smiled as they pulled apart.

"Yeah, let's dig in. But use your knife and fork." Tom added and immediately, Daniel went for the garlic bread, Tom picked up a chicken wing and Sam didn't know where to begin on her amazing feast!

* * *

"I don't know how he can run around after a massive meal." Sam smiled as they watched Daniel play alone in the play area as he ran to and from the slide, monkey bars and climbing frame.

"Neither do I, though I don't think he ate quite as much as you did." Tom smirked as he put his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Give it another five minutes or so and we'll head home yeah?"

"Okay." Sam nodded. "I'm just gonna pop to the toilet."

"For the tenth time tonight." Tom muttered and Sam rolled her eyes as she walked away. She soon returned to find her table cleared and then she looked at the play area to find Tom gently pushing Daniel on the swing.

"Come on monkey, let's get home." Sam said and Tom slowly stopped the swing so that Daniel could safely get off before he ran to hold hands with his mummy as they left the restaurant.

* * *

**Monday 27th May 2019, 6pm**

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" Tom requested and everyone who had gone to the pub after a shift in the ED turned to see Tom's son, Daniel standing on top of the pool table. It suddenly went silent and Tom gave Daniel an encouraging nod so he said what he had been practicing for ages.

"Mummy and Daddy are having another baby because mummy is 12 weeks pregnant." Daniel announced loudly and he then looked at Sam for approval.

"Well done!" She whispered and Daniel smiled as Tom lifted him down and sat him on the edge of the table.

"Congratulations!" People cheered and Zoe was the first to approach the family and of course, Tom had a beer whilst Sam and Daniel had a glass of orange juice each.

"I've been wondering why you've been letting Tom jump in front of you and go on shout outs with the ambulance team." Zoe smiled.

"You've been going out on shout outs?" Sam demanded from her husband. "I thought we'd agreed you weren't going out on them until you'd fully recovered from your appendectomy."

"I only started going out this week and I am fully recovered." Tom stated.

"Right." Sam replied sheepishly.

"Anyway, I'm happy for you. Though I do hope you won't be taking too long off for maternity leave." Zoe smiled.

"I'll take however long I bloody want." Sam argued.

"Woah, hormones." Tom warned as he stood in between Sam and Zoe.

"Right. Sorry, Zoe I-"

"It's alright. I've dealt with your hormones before." Zoe joked cautiously and thankfully, it made Sam laugh a little bit. After talking to several other friends, Sam was beginning to notice the accumulating smell of beer and booze in the pub which she really wanted to take a break from.

"Tom, I'm just gonna go out for some air alright?" Sam said discreetly.

"Why? You feel sick?" Tom asked worriedly.

"No, I just could do with some fresh air." Sam replied.

"Can I come mummy?" Daniel asked as he tugged on her sleeve.

"Yeah sure. Is it a bit loud in here?" Sam asked softly and Daniel nodded as she held his hand and walked him outside. She took him just outside the entrance where it was dark outside by the entrance was lit up by a street lamp and they both sat on a picnic bench.

"Mummy..."

"Yeah."

"Are you going to forget me when the new baby comes?" Daniel asked in a mumble.

"Come here." Sam ordered as she patted her lap, and slowly Daniel came and sat on Sam's thighs. "Just because there's a new baby, doesn't mean you're not my baby anymore. Even when you're a teenager or an adult, you will always be my baby." Sam said softly as she rested her chin on Daniel's shoulder. "And how on earth, could I ever forget someone who is so important to me, and who I love so, so much?"

"But aren't you going to love the new baby?"

"Of course I am. But you can love more than one person. I love you, and I love Daddy and I already love this baby. But I love you all equally. And I want you to know that you can always talk to me and daddy about anything okay? When the baby's born, I will have to spend a lot of time looking after it because babies can't do things that you can like eating or going to the toilet. But that's not because I love it more than you. And if you're feeling left out or sad, I want you to tell me or daddy okay? Because then we can make you happy again. Because if you're not happy, you can't be the best big brother you can be, can you?" Sam smiled.

Daniel turned around and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck so she lifted him up and turned his body around until he had his legs around Sam's waist.

"I love you mummy." Daniel whispered.

"I love you too." Sam smiled as she rubbed her hands up and down his back. They cuddled for a little while longer until Sam heard the door click and Tom came out.

"Daniel, you're not making mummy cry are you?" Tom said as he squatted down and wiped a single tear off of Sam's cheek using his thumb.

"I think he's asleep." Sam whispered.

"Why're you crying?" Tom asked confusedly.

"He said he loved me and I think he meant it." Sam sniffed. "Can we go home?"

"Yeah, that's why I came out here. Come here, I'll carry him to the car."

"No. I've got him." Sam smiled as she stood up and supported his weight by keeping an arm under his bum and her other hand on his back to keep him upright. She kept him held against her chest so there wasn't any weight on her unborn child as she carried him on the short journey to the hospital car park.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam develops a harmless, but uncomfortable, UTI and then she and Tom receive an unbelievable surprise! **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**Monday 1st July 2019, 3am**

Tom slowly opened his eyes to see that Sam's bedside lamp was on and Sam was grabbing a hoodie out of his wardrobe. At 17 weeks pregnant, Sam had no hope of fitting into any of her normal clothes and to save wasting money on clothes that she would only wear for a few weeks until it was too small, she used her old maternity clothes from her pregnancy with Daniel, and now she was at an almost perfect size to fit into Tom's clothes, even if they were a little too long but tight.

"Hey, you cold?" Tom asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

"No um... I've just got to pop out." Sam admitted as she pulled her hair out of Tom's hoodie.

"Right. Tell me what you're craving this time and I'll go and get it." Tom smirked as he sat up and got out of bed.

"It's not a craving. I... I need to go the the ED but don't panic, there's nothing wrong with the baby."

"Well what's wrong with _you_ then?" Tom asked worriedly.

"I need to go to the toilet but I can't." Sam stated bluntly as she bent down to pulled her trainers on but she grimaced as she held a hand to her abdomen.

"Right, you want me to get you a laxative? I can go for you-"

"No, I'm not constipated!" Sam protested quietly. "I'm pretty sure I've got a UTI, I need to go and do a urine test and if it comes back positive for an infection then I'll get some antibiotics." Sam explained.

"Oh right. Can't you wait until the morning?"

"I want to get the course started as soon as I can because it's really... It's just painful and uncomfortable." Sam admitted as she rubbed her lower abdomen.

"Okay, give me a urine sample and I'll go for you. The last thing you need is to be running to the hospital at 3 o'clock in the morning if you're not feeling well." Tom said sympathetically.

"You're gonna have to wait a while for the urine test because seriously can't go." Sam warned.

"That's fine, take as long as you need. I'll go and get you some cool water; flushing out your system might help relieve the symptoms for a while." Tom said as he quietly slipped out of the bedroom and soon returned with two bottles of chilled water from the fridge. "You sure this is a bladder issue and it's not anything like periods pains? Or it could be a yeast infection." Tom asked once he had closed their bedroom door to prevent Daniel from being woken up.

"No, I know this is a urine infection; it hurts when I passed water before I went to bed last night but I thought nothing of it, I've got pelvic pain, I feel like I need to go but I can't and I went about five minutes ago but it was literally about a teaspoon amount and it was cloudy." Sam explained.

"Alright. You get back into bed until you can go, and take my hoodie off." Tom smirked.

"Oi, I'm sleeping in this from now on. It's comfy." Sam smiled but she groaned uncontrollably as she sat down on the bed and immediately stood back up because of the pain bending caused her.

"Do you want some paracetamol?" Tom asked.

"I don't think it's gonna help this kind of pain." Sam shook her head.

"Okay. Is there anything you want?"

"I want a hug from Daniel but I don't want to wake him up, so I suppose a hug from you'll have to do." Sam shrugged cheekily.

"I don't know if I should give you a hug now seeing as you insulted me." Tom laughed.

"Well I'm blaming you for having a UTI in the first place so I have a right to insult you."

"Why is it my fault? Because I impregnanted you?" Tom laughed.

"No, because being sexually active can irritate a woman's urethra, causing an infection. And it's your fault that I'm sexually active hence it's your fault that I'm in agony." Sam moaned.

"Well we don't have to be sexually active if you don't want to be." Tom smirked.

"Right, I'm gonna give it another try." Sam stated. "Can you go and get my handbag? I've got a urine sample tube in there that the midwife gave me for my next appointment." Sam requested and Tom went downstairs and did as Sam had asked before she disappeared into the ensuite bathroom.

Tom felt awful as he heard Sam's occasional gasp in pain which she was clearly trying to hide but she was in there for several minutes and Tom had still not heard the toilet flush.

"Sam, can I come in?" Tom asked softly. He knew she wouldn't have locked the bathroom door because they never did. "I think I might be able to help."

"Okay..." She replied hesitantly so Tom entered the bathroom and walked through the small thin corridor where there were two sinks on a marble surface until he entered the main bathroom where Sam was sitting on the toilet with her underwear and shorts around her ankles and she was leaning forward, resting her arms on her knees - so Tom couldn't see anything - and with the empty sample pot without a lid on it in her hand. "I'm warning you that if you laugh at me or make a joke about this, I'm not in a laughing mood."

"I know, this isn't funny." Tom said softly as he put the sink's detachable plug into the bidet that they never used, it just came with the house.

"What're you doing?"

"If you sit on the bidet and splash warm water between your legs and around your urethra, it'll help your muscles to relax and then if you try going to the toilet after that, it might be less painful and a bit easier." Tom stated as he began to run fairly warm water into the bidet to create a pool of clear liquid. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy, I had to do it for a urine sample once in a doctor's office and I couldn't relax so he told me to do that and hey presto. I filled the pot. Though I didn't have to do it in a bidet, I did it in a sink."

"One: if you haven't noticed, we have slightly different anatomy downstairs and two: why were you doing a urine sample for a doctor?" Sam demanded - her first thought was that he had been tested for STIs because she knew that he had been a bit of a player before they began going out.

"Because I've had a UTI before." Tom replied.

"Oh..."

"Just try it. I'll wait in the bedroom for you." Tom gave Sam a reassuring smile so he turned the tap in the bidet off before he left the bathroom and closed the door to give her some privacy.

* * *

A good ten minutes later, Tom was almost ready to knock on the door to see how she was getting on when the bathroom door opened and Sam came out.

"You got a sample?" Tom asked and Sam handed him the clear plastic tube containing about a tablespoon of cloudy urine - she hadn't even managed to fill the small pot but it would be sufficient. "Alright. I'll take it to the hospital and get it rushed through the labs. In the meantime, you try and get some sleep." Tom ordered as he pulled back the duvet and he carefully tucked Sam and her 17 week bump under the thin duvet.

"Thanks for doing this." Sam whispered.

"It's alright, I know how uncomfortable an infection can be, but I can imagine it's worse when you're pregnant. Right, I'll turn the light out and lock the front door once I'm gone."

* * *

**6am**

Sam and Tom's alarms went off and both turned it off quickly before they had a good stretch and pulled the duvet off of them.

"I left you a present on your bedside table." Tom quipped and Sam looked next to her to see that there was a pharmacy bag, and inside was a box containing a full course of amoxicillin. "You need to take two tablets now, then two tablets about 12 hours after that, and you need to do that same every 12 hours for 10 days." Tom explained as he slowly sat up. "And I went to see an obstetrician who was oncall quickly, and he reassured me that it's not gonna harm the baby; it's perfectly safe."

"Thank you for going for me." Sam said gratefully before she used her bottle of water to swallow two tablets. "What time did you get home?"

"I was in the hospital for about half an hour which was pretty good actually. I got back and you were fast asleep so I didn't wake you." Tom said as he headed towards the ensuite.

"Tom wait. Can I go first?" Sam asked as she grimaced whilst she stood up because of her pelvic pain.

"Yeah sure. Be my guest." Tom nodded.

* * *

**6pm**

Sam, Tom and Daniel had just had their dinner and were sitting out in the back garden on the lovely Summer's evening. Sam had just taken her antibiotics and Tom was kicking a ball about with his son on the grass when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Sam stated as she got up. Sam locked the dogs in the living room using the baby gate to stop them from jumping up at whoever was at the door before she opened it to greet two strangers in jeans and red coats and one of them was holding a camera pointing at Sam.

"Mrs Kent?"

"Yeah, that's me." Sam stated confusedly.

"Could you please confirm your postcode for us?"

"Er, it's HC3 8DF."

"That's brilliant, we're from the postcode lottery Mrs Kent and we've got something for you. Would you like to see how much you've won?" The woman asked as she brought out a large gold envelope.

"Yes please." Sam smiled and as the woman slide the woman slid the oversized cheque out of the gold envelope to reveal a cheque for £2,000,000! "No way. No, this is a joke." Sam protested.

"It's very much real Mrs Kent, you're the winner of postcode lottery's monthly two million pound prize!"

* * *

After briefly talking to the woman about the fact that the money would be paid straight into Sam and Tom's bank account and a further congratulations, the two people left and Sam shut the front door. She turned around and leant against it, holding the cheque in one hand and her bump in the other. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm down when the shrieks of her son who had presumably scored a goal against his father brought her back to reality. She walked through the house to the back door where she stood with the cheque behind her back.

"Hey, who was that?" Tom asked curiously.

"Um... Can I have a word please?" Sam asked and Tom's smile of victory disappeared as it didn't seem like it had been a good visit.

"Yeah sure. Daniel, just stay where we can see you yeah? I'll be right back."

"Okay." Daniel nodded as he ran after the football so Tom followed Sam into the kitchen.

"What's up?"

"Tadaa." Sam said excitedly as she showed him the large cheque for £2,000,000.

"What? How? I..."

"Don't you remember when we merged bank accounts years ago that I told you I had an account for the postcode lottery and I paid £10 a month for tickets? I changed the postcode when we moved house and after that I'd forgotten about it... Until now of course." Sam smiled.

"And that's all yours?" Tom asked.

"No, it's all _ours_." Sam corrected.

"And it's not a con or anything?"

"I bloody hope not! They just said that it'll be in our bank account within 48 hours." Sam stated.

"Do you know how many things we could do with that amount of money? I mean I know we've got a lot in our account already but we've saved that for a rainy day, and now that we've got this we can do whatever we want with it!"

"I know but we need to sit down and budget what we're going to spend it on. I don't want to go spending it all in a year or two or waste it on stupid things like cars and I want to save some of it for the kids if they want to go to university."

"Yeah I agree. But why didn't you tell me in front of Daniel?" Tom asked curiously.

"Because, you know what kids are like. He'll probably go and tell all of his friends at the crèche and then it spread around the mums and I just don't want everyone knowing about it. Plus if Daniel knew, he'd probably ask for every single toy in the store even if he didn't want them just because he knew we had the money." Sam stated.

"Fair point. Right, let's talk tonight once Daniel's gone to bed. And we can sort our finances out." Tom said smugly as he rubbed his hands together before he put them on Sam's bump.

"I think I'm started to feel movements." Sam admitted. "Not anything like kicks but, kind of like fluttery feelings and turning sensations in my stomach."

"Maybe they're practicing their summersaults in there." Tom smiled before he leant in and kissed Sam on the lips.

"What was that for?" Sam asked.

"For making an account on postcode lottery." Tom grinned. "And for giving me a second child." Tom added as he pecked Sam on the lips again. "How's your bladder?" Tom asked.

"Um... A bit better than last night. But I don't think it's the antibiotics working already, I think it's because I've been drinking a lot to keep my urine diluted. And it's only painful when I go to the toilet now whereas last night it was whenever I moved."

"Well seeing as you're feeling better, does that mean you're on snack duty?" Tom asked cheekily.

"Depends what you have in mind." Sam replied sheepishly.

* * *

**9pm**

Sam and Tom had just sat down after ensuring that Daniel was asleep and each had a hot chocolate and a notepad to share, to organise their finances.

"Right. First thing on the agenda is a last minute holiday for late July or early August, in a couple of weeks time ." Tom stated.

"And of course, that's an essential is it?" Sam smirked.

"Yes it is because we haven't been abroad since we had Daniel, and you're pregnant so I'm sure you'd enjoy a holiday."

"It depends what kind of holiday you have in mind."

"I'm thinking of somewhere nice and sunny and hot. Just rent a villa with a private pool and we can play with Daniel in the pool for a bit then you and our baby can relax while me and Daniel splash you with water." Tom smirked.

"Well that sounds nice but can we just talk about that later and focus on the essentials first?"

"Yeah sure." Tom nodded.

"Right well we definitely need to budget for the new baby's room which is currently Daniel's play room. And I think that we need to redecorate Daniel's bedroom because he needs a bigger bed and new furniture."

"I'd say Daniel's new room including furniture, would be about £800-£1000." Tom stated and Sam began to write it down. "And it really depends on whether it's a boy or a girl because if it's a boy, we'll be able to reuse a lot of Daniel's things."

"How about we go and do a scan at work tomorrow and we can find out?"

"Sam." Tom warned.

"What? You can't tell me that you don't want to know and I'm 17 weeks, 96% of sonographers can correctly determine the gender by 14 weeks."

"You've looked this up haven't you?" Tom grinned and Sam couldn't help but smile. "We'll do it tomorrow after our shifts. But cmon, back to finances. Let's say Daniel and the new baby's nursery combined would be about £2000 together. Let's say all together, a holiday somewhere nice and new clothes and everything would come to around £5,000. "

"Yep. There is one thing I've been thinking about now that we've got the money." Sam admitted.

"Okay, what's that?" Tom asked.

"I think I'd be really nice, when both of them are a older - not really older, just like in about five years or so - to take them to Disney World. And because we've got the money, we could have an amazing holiday tickets to all the parks, stay in a Disney resort and everything could go perfectly."

"You do realise you'd be taking three kids on that holiday right?" Tom smiled and Sam rolled her eyes. "That sounds like a lovely idea." Tom added.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom sneak a scan at work to determine the gender of their baby before they take a holiday using just a fraction of their winnings. But when Sam has reluctantly left Tom in charge of literally everything including their destination and the packing, will it all go to plan?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	43. Chapter 43

**Friday 5th July 2019, 4:30pm**

"What if we get caught?" Tom asked as he shut the door behind him. Sam had lead him to the oncall room where she was about to find out the gender of her unborn child. She was too impatient to wait another fortnight until her anomaly scan so she wanted to do the scan herself.

"Well then we'll say I had some abdominal pain and couldn't get an appointment with my obstetrician until Sunday and I couldn't wait that long." Sam improvised as she opened the machine and switched it on. She then went to put the lubricant on the transducer but Tom grabbed her hands.

"I want to do the ultrasound, you lie down." He ordered softly and reluctantly, Sam let go and laid down on the bed on top of the duvet. At 18 weeks pregnant, Sam had a perfectly rounded bump that she was wearing maternity sized scrubs to suit her shape and if she laid on her back, she couldn't see her feet because her bump was in the way. "Are you gonna lift your shirt up? Because funnily enough I don't think it'll be very clear through scrubs." Tom joked softly as he crouched down so that he was the same height as Sam.

"You don't say." Sam said sarcastically as she rolled her shirt up to her bra. Gently, Tom put the transducer on Sam's bump and moved it around a little bit until he had a perfect picture of their baby. Sam was relieved because she had been worrying about her baby being in an awkward position but they could clearly see the genital stub of their baby, and that was what they used to determine the gender. "It's a girl." Sam whispered.

"It is indeed." Tom grinned. "Daniel's gonna be gutted that he's gonna have a little sister." Tom smirked.

"I'm glad it's a girl." Sam smiled. "And I'm having a copy of this, I don't care if I'm going to get another one in two weeks." Sam said sternly as she reached up and pressed the print button.

"We're having a baby girl." Tom repeated so that it would help it sink into his mind as he used a tissue to wipe Sam's bump dry for her. "That means we get to make the nursery pink and get loads of little cute pink dresses."

"If she's anything like me, she's gonna hate dresses." Sam smirked as she slowly sat up and then Tom sat besides her on the bed.

"You looking forward to our holiday tomorrow?" Tom asked as he put his arm around Sam's shoulders. Sam had given Tom a £5,000 budget for their holiday that was supposed to be relaxing for her and give her a break from working. But Tom had taken on everything and told Sam not to do anything because he was going to book, organise and pack for the holiday and leave Sam with nothing to do but unwind and rest.

"I am now that I know I'm spending it with my baby girl." Sam smiled.

"Are we going to tell Daniel that he's going to have a sister or are we going to leave it until we go to your anomaly scan and he can find out when the sonographer tells us?" Tom asked.

"Um... I don't know. In some ways I think if he knows the gender then he might be able to bond with her a little easier and talk to my bump but at the same time, I'm just worried that he's going to be disappointed that it's a girl."

"Well he's going to have to get used to it sometime." Tom stated.

"I suppose so."

* * *

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Daniel asked as he sat in the bath that was filled with bubbles whilst his mother sat just next to the bath to supervise him. Tom had given Sam bath duty, which they would usually do together, whilst Tom was in their bedroom just a couple of meters away, packing for their holiday.

"I'm not sure Daniel. Daddy has kept it a secret from both of us so that he can suprise us when we get to the airport."

"Have I ever been on an air- aero- aeroplane before?" Daniel asked.

"No you haven't. But it's lots of fun and you get to look down on the people below you and they'll look like ants from where we'll be." Sam explained - she didn't want him to be scared but the only things that she knew her son to be scared of was being apart from his mum or dad for too long and he was occasionally frightened of the dark.

"Will there be toilets there? Or will I have to hold it? Because I don't think I can hold it for very long." Daniel asked innocently - he going through a phase of asking lots and lots of questions because of his curious nature and Sam was very impressed at how fast Daniel's vocabulary was expanding.

"Of course there'll be toilets where we go. There will be toilets at the airport, on the plane and where we're staying too so there's no need to worry about toilets." Sam said reassuringly.

"What if the toilets are too big and I fall in?"

"They won't be, but if you are worried about that, you know me or daddy will be there for you to hold on to."

"What if I get lost and I can't find you? What if I don't know where I am? Or what if some man tries to take me like what happened at nursery to James when they had to call security?" Daniel asked worriedly and of course, Sam knew what he was talking about: a man had tried to collect a child that wasn't his but thankfully, the crèche staff knew he wasn't a parent of the boy he was trying to take and security escorted the man to a police car outside - none of the children had ever been put at risk because whilst the man was outside the crèche door, the staff members who weren't dealing with the incident had kept a watchful eye on all of the children.

"No man will ever try to take you as long as you stay with me or daddy. But just in case that does ever happen, you scream as loud as you can, you run away from the man and try to find someone official." Sam replied.

"Who's offy-call?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"Well, say if something happened in an airport, you'd go to a person working at one of the desks, or if it was in a shop, you'd go to the person at the till and ask for help. And you'll never get lost, as long as you stick to mummy and daddy, and don't run off."

"Okay. Can I get out now?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, you must be squeaky clean by now." Sam nodded. She always washed his hair as soon as he got in the bath so that he had as long as it took for the water to get cold, to splash about in the water and play with his bath toys. Sam pulled the plug out and then grabbed Daniel's green monster, hooded towel that went over him like a poncho whilst she waited for the bath water to go down a bit more so that she was safe to lift her son out.

"I need a wee mummy." Daniel pleaded.

"Alright, let's just dry you off a little bit." Sam said as she put her hands under his arms and lifted him onto his feet on the bath mat. She roughly dried him before she grabbed his step and put it by the toilet. "There you go." Sam smiled as she let her naked son step up and relieve himself whilst she rinsed the bath out. "Daddy, are we allowed to come out yet?" Sam asked as she didn't want to ruin the surprise and go out to see what he was packing for her.

"Um, yep. I've just finished our stuff. But can you get Daniel dressed into his pyjamas and then take him downstairs so that I can start packing his things please?" Tom asked.

"Yep sure." Sam nodded as she turned around to see her son already standing on his stool at the sink, washing his hand with the fun foam soap. "Good boy." Sam smiled. "How about we go downstairs, cuddle up in the armchair and try and read some flash cards together?" Sam suggested as she held a hand towel for him whilst he dried his hands.

"Can I have my milk?" Daniel asked.

"Sure. Do you want it warm, or cold?" Sam asked as she put Daniel's hooded towel poncho over his head and covered his body with it to keep him warm.

"Um... Cold please."

"Okey dokey, let's go and get your pyjamas on."

* * *

Whilst Tom continued to pack upstairs, Sam was curled up in the armchair with her knees up to her bump and Daniel sitting besides her as she went through a pack of very simple flash cards to help to teach him to read and the next one read: Dog. Daniel had a good vocabulary, but he was only just learning to read things so he could rarely associate a word with how it was pronounced because he hadn't leant it yet. And Sam was trying to go slowly and give him ways to remember them.

"What type of animal do we have in this house?" Sam asked.

"Um... Dog!" Daniel exclaimed. And Sam was slightly saddened that her dogs were not in the house at that time, Tom had already taken them to the kennels where they would be looked after whilst the Kent Family went on their holiday.

"That, that's right. And how many dogs do we have?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Well let's count with our fingers shall we? There's Shadow." Sam listed as she held up one finger and Daniel copied her with his smaller hands. "And then there's Alex, and Panda. How many is that?"

"Fwee!"

"Yeah, three. Well done." Sam smiled.

"So this word says dog. What noise does a dog make?"

"Woof woof!"

"Yeah, well done Daniel!" Sam said as she moved on to the next card which said: Baby. "What's this one? What's in my tummy?"

"Food!"

"No. What's growing inside of me? And it's going to be your younger sibling in a few months."

"Baby?"

"Yeah, a baby. But you're not a baby are you? You're a big strong boy." Sam smiled and Daniel clenched his fists as he pretended to tense his muscles in his arms. "You've learnt that off of your dad haven't you?" Sam muttered to herself. "Right, so we've had dog, then baby, what does this word say?" Sam asked as she switched cards to reveal: Family.

"I don't know mummy. What does it say?"

"Well, it's a word that I'd use to describe what me, you and daddy put together are. I think this is a bit of a tricky word, isn't it? It says family. You see it says Fam-il-ee, because the letter Y, can sometimes be pronounced like ee. Just like in the word happy, or-"

"Mummy and daddy!" Daniel said excitedly.

"Yeah, that's right. You're getting the hang of this aren't you?"

"Did someone say my name?" Tom asked cheerily as he came in the living room with a bunch of keys in his hand.

"Daddy has a Y in it." Daniel proclaimed proudly.

"It does indeed, well done." Tom praised before he looked at his wife. "Everything including hand luggage is packed in the car and ready to leave tomorrow morning at 3am." He announced.

"3am!" Sam protested.

"I know it's early, but we've got to drive to Gatwick airport which takes about two hours, plus we've got an early flight but you two can sleep in the car." Tom stated. "And Daniel, is going to have an early night to make sure he gets plenty of sleep for his holiday. Aren't you?"

"Do I have to?" Daniel moaned.

"You do if you want to go on holiday young man. Now, how about you go and have a wee and brush your teeth, and then I'll read you a story until you go to sleep?" Tom suggested.

"Can you _and_ mummy read the story to me?" Daniel asked with hope apparent in his voice. Tom looked at Sam to check she was up for it and not too tired before Tom nodded. "Yay!"

"Be careful on the stairs." Tom warned as Daniel climbed off of the sofa and both parents went cautiously up behind him. "I've packed the last few of your antibiotics by the way, so don't worry about that." Tom said quietly.

"Okay, thanks."

"How is the infection now?"

"All cleared up. No problems whatsoever, I'm just going a lot more than I'd like but it's not painful or anything. It's just because there's a big lump on top of my bladder." Sam said proudly as she patted her bump.

* * *

Tom had just reached the end of the book and he knew his son was asleep. Daniel had drifted off a few minutes ago but Tom wanted to make sure that he was asleep before he and Sam silently left the room and went to their bedroom.

"Can you tell me where we're going yet?" Sam asked as they both climbed into bed.

"Not yet. I'll tell you when we get to the airport tomorrow." Tom stated.

"Have I told you, that we're millionaires?" Sam asked sleepily and smugly as she laid on her left side for the benefit of her unborn child whilst Tom wrapped his arms around she and let her bury her face into his chest.

"I do believe that you may have mentioned it once or twice." Tom smirked. "How's my baby girl?" Tom asked quietly.

"She's been shuffling about all day." Sam mumbled. "I've only felt one or two proper kicks so far, but I can definitely feel all of her little rolls, fidgeting and wriggling about in there." Sam explained and Tom smiled as he tucked his chin on the top of Sam's head.

"I've sorted out your clothes for the morning so you'll literally have to get dressed, have a wee and then you can get in the car. I'll get Daniel dressed so you can fall right back asleep again. And don't worry about alarms, I'll wake you up too."

"Thank you... For organising this whole thing. I know you've put a lot of work into this and I really appreciate what your doing."

"You're welcome. And hopefully, you'll still be thanking me by the end of the trip if you like it. But for now, just go to sleep, and don't worry about a single thing." Tom whispered. And that was exactly what Sam did because it was hard to worry about anything when she was in the safe arms of her husband.

* * *

**Coming up: Where do you think they're going on holiday? And how will Daniel's first experience of an airport and an aeroplane go?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**

**Also, I'd just like to ask anyone who is reading this could possibly give me some ideas for when Daniel would be around 17 and Sam and Tom's daughter would be 13 because I've got a few ideas for them growing up but I want some ideas for their teenage years :) Just a few bullet points or even just one idea would be greatly appreciated, thanks x**


	44. Chapter 44

**If you want to see where they're going to stay on their holiday, google 'Villa Alto Claro' and go on the villa plus website. I went on holiday there last summer and it was amazing :)**

* * *

**Saturday 6th July 2019, 2:50am**

"Sam... Come on sweetheart, time to get moving." Tom said softly. He was already up and dressed because he was in charge of the whole holiday and he couldn't let a single thing go wrong. "I'm going to go and get Daniel ready alright?" Tom asked and Sam slowly opened her eyes to find that the small bedside lamp provided just enough light so that she could see around the room, but it didn't sting her sleepy eyes.

"Yeah. I'll be ready in a minute." Sam croaked so Tom pecked her on the forehead before he went through to his sons bedroom and turned on his bedside lamp too.

"Come on, I know you're already awake." Tom said as he tickled Daniel and he squirmed as he jumped out of bed. "You excited?" Tom asked as he got the little boy's clothes out of the wardrobe.

"Yeah because I get to spend the whole week with mummy and daddy." Daniel nodded. "Can I go wee wee?" He asked as he crossed his legs.

"Yeah sure, come on." Tom said and he followed Daniel through to his ensuite bathroom, but as they reached Sam and Tom's bedroom, they found Sam standing in just her bra and a pair of low waisted skinny jeans that fitted under her 18 week bump. Daniel froze and looked at it and Tom did so too momentarily before he blinked and was brought back to reality. "Come on Daniel, you shouldn't stare."

"No, it's fine. He's only curious." Sam stated as she went and knelt down in front of her son. "Do you understand where your baby brother or sister is now?" Sam asked.

"There." Daniel nodded as he reached out and placed his hand on Sam's bump. Sam was a little startled at the sudden movement, but she allowed it and Daniel's face suddenly lit up. "I can feel it! I can feel it!" Daniel proclaimed and Sam smiled as she too had felt the movement.

"See, they know you're their big brother."

"Come on, we don't want you having an accident do we?" Tom said as he steered Daniel into the bathroom. But he had to discretely wolfwhistle as he looked at Sam's cleavage first and Sam just rolled her eyes before she continued to get dressed.

"I'm impressed by the way, you picked out my comfiest jeans." Sam admitted.

"I aim to please." Tom called from the bathroom. And a minute later, Daniel zoomed out and went to his bedroom. "Do you want a flask of hot chocolate for the car and see if that'll send you off?" Tom suggested as he glanced out of the doorway and made sure that Daniel went into his own room and not near the staircase.

"Um, yeah that'd be nice thanks. You can go downstairs, I'll go and dress Daniel." Sam added and so Tom disappeared on the lower floor whilst Sam went into Daniel's room where his pyjama top was on the floor and his short sleeved blue checkered top had been put on inside out.

"I stuck." Daniel grinned.

"I can see that." Sam smirked. "Come on, let's get you dressed properly." Sam knelt down and helped Daniel to button up his shirt before she helped him to take his pyjama bottoms off and put some underwear and jeans on. "Are you going to sleep in the car?" Sam asked as she lifted him up and sat him on the bed so that she could pull some socks and trainers on his feet.

"No." Daniel replied firmly, but Sam knew he would. "I'm a big boy because I get my own seat on the plane."

"Mm. Babies have to share a seat with their mummy or daddy don't they?"

"Like him." Daniel said as he pointed to Sam's bump and she sighed as she knew it almost certainly wasn't a 'him', but she didn't want to tell Daniel yet, especially when Tom wasn't there so she just corrected him.

"We've spoke about this, it could be a girl _or_ a boy."

"I know but daddy says it's nicer to chose one rather than call him it." Daniel stated.

"I suppose so, yeah. As long as you don't get your heart set on having a brother. Just in case." Sam said as she lifted him off of the bed.

"I know." Daniel nodded as he opened his mouth as wide as he could and yawned - it was far too early for most adults to be up, but for a 3 and 3/4 year old toddler, it was very early. In fact, Sam was surprised that he wasn't grumpy.

"Right. Let's get you downstairs." Sam said as she picked him up and balanced him on her hip because she didn't want him falling down the stairs which was more likely if he was tired. Sam walked into the kitchen with Daniel to find Tom just putting the lid on top of the handheld flask for Sam.

"Are we all ready to go?" Tom asked.

"Me and Daniel are. Aren't we?" Sam smiled.

"Mm." Daniel mumbled.

"Is the car open? I'd better go and get him comfortable so that he can get to sleep." Sam stated.

"Yeah, it's open." Tom nodded. "I've put a blanket and his border collie toy by his car seat as well." Tom added as he and Sam made their way out after turning the lights out. Tom locked the door whilst Sam opened the back door of the car, behind the passenger seat - where Tom had put his car seat so that if Sam fell asleep, he could calm his child - and then laid her son down.

"Night night Daniel." Sam whispered as she secured his strap so that he was safe, before she laid his blue blanket over the top of him and tucked the border collie toy - that Daniel called 'Mini Shadow' - next to him in his seat. The boot was filled with suitcases whilst next to Daniel were three bags which were presumably for hand luggage.

"I'm not tired." Daniel mumbled.

"It's alright, I'm going to go to sleep too in a minute. And then by the time you wake up, we'll be at the airport to go on our holiday." Sam whispered before she kissed him on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams Daniel." Tom said softly as he kissed him on the forehead too and within seconds he closed his eyes. "Right, let's get a move on." Tom said as he gently closed the door and then he got in his side whilst Sam got in the passenger seat.

"I don't like wearing a seatbelt when I'm pregnant. I just worry that if we do suddenly stop then it's going to hurt the baby."

"Well we're fine because it's 3am, the roads are pretty much empty and you won't be awake to worry." Tom stated as he reached behind him and pulled a blanket out. "Sweet dreams mummy." Tom said mockingly. Sam rolled her eyes as she clicked her seatbelt on and then laid the blanket over her. "By the way, we're not going straight to the airport. We're going to this park n' ride thing where we park our car up safely for the week, and then the company there will drive us in a coach or a bus to the airport." He explained as he started the engine and pulled off.

"Alright. Can you wake me up about five minutes before we get there please?"

"Sure."

"Hang on, I haven't seen Daniel's stroller in the car." Sam stated - he was only an infant and he couldn't walk all day like an adult could.

"We're not taking it. It's not the kind of holiday that we'll need it. Besides, if he gets tired today, I'll be alright carrying him. Don't panic. And we're not taking the car seat either, but I've rented a car in the country that we're going to, and they rent out children's car seats too. So it's fine. Now go to sleep." Tom ordered playfully. He began the journey whilst Sam spent five minutes or so drinking the hot chocolate that he had made her in the flask. Then, with the warm feeling in her belly, she went to sleep with her head resting on the window and her hands around her bump under the blanket.

* * *

**4:45am**

"Sam... We're nearly there now." Tom said softly as he gave her hand a small squeeze before he put his hand back on the gearstick as she began to stir.

"Mm. What time is it?" Sam asked sleepily as she rolled her neck and then stretched her arms and legs out.

"Quarter to five. You two slept the whole way." Tom smiled and Sam turned around and looked behind her where her son was cuddling the border collie toy and he was fast asleep in his car seat.

"Can you tell me where we're going yet?" Sam asked.

"If you're sure you want to know." Tom nodded.

"Yep. C'mon, spill."

"We're going to Villa Alto Claro, which is in... Spain." Tom stated.

"Nice." Sam smiled.

"I want to chose somewhere hot, but I didn't want to go too far because I can only imagine what Daniel can be like on a plane." Tom smirked.

"How long is the flight?"

"About two and a half hours. But Daniel's hand luggage is packed full of things to keep him occupied. And the best thing is, you know you gave me a £5,000 budget? Well depending on how much spending money we're gonna use, it's only going to cost around £3,000." Tom stated.

"Wow, I can trust you with money after all." Sam said sarcastically. And Sam curiously looked around as they pulled into a car park and Tom parked up in the new arrivals section.

"Right, you stay there, and I'll go and check in. Don't bother waking Daniel up, I'll try and let him sleep on the bus on the way to the airport." Tom said as he grabbed his black rucksack which had all the travel documents in it, and he left the car. Sam decided to get out of the car to stretch her legs and as she did so, an orange bus pulled up near the building that Tom had just gone in to.

"Do you like the sound of Spain?" Sam asked as she smoothed her hands over her bump through her hoodie. "I'll take that as a yes." Sam smiled as she felt her daughter's strongest kick yet against her abdomen.

She waited a few more minutes in the dimly lit car park until Tom returned and he put his rucksack on his back.

"Right, that bus is ready to leave so I just need to take out suitcases over there. You stay here with Daniel, yeah?"

"I can wheel a suitcase on the ground." Sam argued.

"Yeah I know, but one of us needs to stay with Daniel in case he wakes up." Tom replied as he opened the boot and took out two of the suitcases. Soon, all of their bags were on the bus and because it was so early in the morning, no one else was there at that time so it was just Sam, Tom and Daniel on the bus.

"What's happening when we actually get off of the plane in Spain then?" Sam asked curiously as she sat next to Tom who had Daniel against his chest with his legs either side of his waist, and he was fast asleep.

"Well as I said, I've rented a car, and the car rental place is attached to the airport so we'll collect our car then, and it'll take about half an hour of driving to get to our villa. And when we're there, I thought you and Daniel might want to have a nap before we go for a big shop and get the food in so we don't have to go out." Tom explained.

"A nap?" Sam moaned.

"Well you don't have to have a nap if you don't want to but I just thought after getting up so early that you might be tired."

"Have we got a pool?" Sam asked.

"Yep. It's our own pool and it's heated." Tom stated. "And the car and the bedrooms are air conditioned so you won't get too hot. Hopefully, you might sleep a bit easier than at home as well."

"What did you bring to eat?" Sam asked. Being pregnant meant that she woke up most nights with hunger pangs and she wouldn't go back to sleep until her stomach was satisfied.

"I've got some brioche for breakfast, some biscuits, sweets, dried fruit, walnuts-"

"Give me the walnuts." Sam ordered.

"Your hand luggage bag is the one filled with food." Tom smirked and Sam bent down and opened her rucksack style handbag to reveal that it was in fact filled with food as well as her kindle.

"Great. Now everyone in the airport is going to think that I'm a greedy pregnant woman." Sam concluded as she took out the nuts and began eating out of the small packet.

"I still don't understand now you can eat raw walnuts. They're disgusting."

"They're nice." Sam protested.

"I've put a label in Daniel's bag by the way. It's got both of our phone numbers, our address and Daniel's name in it just in case he gets lost." Tom stated.

"Mummy?" Daniel croaked as he slowly lifted his head.

"I'm here Daniel." Sam said reassuringly and Daniel looked up to see that his father was holding him and he was on a bus with his mother besides him.

"We're on the way to the airport." Tom explained as he saw the slight look of confusion on the boy's face.

"Where's my-"

"Blanky? Don't worry, we've got blanky and mini Shadow." Tom stated.

"Oh..."

"Do you want to know where we're going Daniel?" Tom asked and suddenly the boy shot awake.

"Yeah!"

"We're going to Spain." Tom announced.

"Yay! Where's that?" Daniel asked and Sam and Tom exchanged a bemused glance before Tom set about trying to explain the global position of Spain.

* * *

**7am**

Sam, Tom and Daniel were walking along the tunnel to get onto the plane after a long morning in the airport.

"We've got three seats all together. One aisle, one middle and one window." Tom stated.

"Shot gun the window seat." Sam said quickly.

"Fine. I'll have the aisle seat and Daniel can sit in the middle- hang on. Is it wise to have you sitting by the window when you're going to be going for a wee every five minutes?" Tom joked.

"It's a two and a half hours flight Tom, I'll only go once. Maximum." Sam argued.

"Sure you will." Tom muttered to himself as they entered the plane. "Keep going Daniel." Tom said encouragingly and the little boy excitedly walked down the aisle of the plane until he reached the back. "Oh brilliant, we're right at the back." Tom said gratefully.

"Why is that brilliant?" Sam asked curiously.

"Because then we won't have anyone kicking the back of our seats, and if you want to, there's a bit of room to get up and stretch your legs." Tom stated. There was three seats on the left and the Kent Family were sitting on the three seats on the right on the small plane. "Right Daniel, you're in the middle." Tom said as he lifted his son up and sat him in the middle seat before Sam sat by the window whilst Tom put their hand luggage in the overhead storage.

"But what about my toys that you promised me?" Daniel asked disappointedly - Tom had packed Daniel a bag full of brand new things to keep him entertained on holiday but he hadn't yet seen what was inside of it.

"Don't worry, you can have it once we've taken off." Tom stated as he sat down too. "What happens is everyone has to sit down with their seat belts on while the plane takes off, and then once we're in the air you can take your seat belt off and I'll get your bag back down for you." Tom explained.

"How long will that take?" Daniel asked.

"Well, we were one of the last few people on this plane so probably around ten, fifteen minutes." Tom replied.

"Are you allowed to sleep on a plane?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, of course you are. I think me and Daddy are going to have a nap to catch up on some sleep so you might as well join us yeah?" Sam said as she made sure that Daniel's seatbelt was done up properly. Sam went to do up her own when she realised that she could only just do the buckle up and it was really tight on her lower abdomen which she didn't like.

"Is it me or are these belts really short?" Tom asked and he looked up to see that Sam too was struggling. "Can you do yours up?" Tom asked.

"Yeah but it's too tight and I don't want it to reduce blood flow to my uterus." Sam replied clinically yet timidly as she undone it.

"Mummy's fat!" Daniel giggled but Sam was finding it far from funny. If anything, she was embarrassed.

"Daniel, be careful. You might find something funny but sometimes it can hurt people's feelings." Tom said sternly yet quietly to his son.

"Sorry." Daniel mumbled.

"It's alright, I know you didn't mean it." Sam forced a smile but her heart was beating faster as she wondered what she was going to do. Suddenly, Tom noticed an air hostess walking past.

"Excuse me, my wife's pregnant and the seatbelt is a bit too tight for her." Tom stated.

"That's not a problem madam, I'll just get you a seatbelt extension." She smiled before she disappeared behind them where the staff area was.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's not because your fat." Tom said reassuringly as he placed a hand on top of Sam's. "Look, it's tight on me." Tom stated.

"Why aren't you getting an extension then?" Sam argued.

"Because I haven't got a precious baby inside of me to protect." Tom replied.

"There you go. You just need to put this on the end of your seatbelt, and then click this into where the end of the normal seatbelt would go." The air hostess explained as she handed Sam a black seatbelt extension.

"Thank you." Sam and Tom said simultaneously though Sam was more shy as she attached the extension and then she tightened it to the right size.

"See you only needed an extra two inches." Tom said reassuringly.

* * *

**10:30am, Alicante Airport, Spain**

An air hostess was preparing for landing when she reached the back of the plane where a pregnant woman was fast asleep in the corner and besides her was her husband, who was also fast asleep, and he was cuddling his sleeping son on his lap against his chest. She knew that they had to wake up and get into their seats for landing so she decided that the best person to wake first would be the husband.

"Excuse me sir? Sir?" She said gently as she tapped his shoulder. "Sorry to wake you but we're getting ready to land so you and your family need to be in your seats with your seat belts fastened."

"No worries, thanks for waking me." Tom smiled and she walked away so Tom set about waking his son and wife. "Daniel, Daniel. We're in Spain." Tom said as he lifted his son onto the aisle seat because it was easier to move him there than to swap seats.

"We're here?" Daniel asked excitedly as he opened his eye wide whilst Tom buckled his son's seatbelt.

"Yep. We're just about to land." Tom smiled before he turned to his spouse. "Sam... Come on. Eres el amor de mi vida."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam croaked sleepily as she opened her eyes.

"It's Spanish for: you're the love of my life. And I have been practicing that phrase for weeks." Tom smiled.

"Mm. Where's dan-" Sam began to panic as she couldn't see her son but as she sat up she saw that he was sitting safely besides his dad.

"What?" Daniel questioned.

"It's alright, nevermind. Morning." Sam forced a smile as she stretched her arms out before she fidgeted. "I need the toilet." Sam announced.

"We are now beginning the descent to Alicante airport. The weather is lovely and sunny and the temperature on the ground is approximately 26°." The pilot announced.

"You're just gonna have to hold it." Tom said as he took Sam's hand in his and she reluctantly leant back in her seat and just wished that they would soon land and that she would be able to find a toilet quickly when they landed in the airport.

* * *

"Why is mummy running?" Daniel asked as he held Tom's hand tightly and they walked after Sam who had just disappeared behind a door for the ladies toilet. Tom meanwhile had all three hand luggage bags on one shoulder and he had Daniel to keep an eye on too in the busy corridor where people were rushing to get their luggage coming off of multiple planes - not just theirs.

"Because mummy needs a wee." Tom replied.

"Why does having a baby make mummy need to wee so much?" Daniel asked as he and Tom stopped by the wall opposite the toilets to wait for Sam.

"Because, the baby is inside an organ that only girls have, called a uterus. And as the baby gets bigger, the uterus gets bigger. You understand so far?" Tom asked and Daniel slowly nodded. "Well basically, as the uterus gets bigger, there's less room inside of mummy and that means that her bladder is more squished. And a bladder is where wee is stored. Mummy isn't weeing a lot more in quantity or amount, she's just going more times in one day because her bladder can't hold very much." Tom explained. He thought that it was best not to go into detail about hCG and how Sam's kidneys were working overtime because he seemed to have barely understood what he had said just now.

* * *

"One benefit of being pregnant: people let you skip a queue in the toilets if you're desperate." Sam stated smugly as she came out and joined her husband and son.

"That and the fact that you get a beautiful baby at the end of it." Tom said sarcastically. "Right, that board says that our bags should be coming onto bag claim number three. But we need to get a trolley to put all of the bags on and make it easier." Tom stated as he took out his wallet and got a €1 coin out.

"How much money have you got in there?" Sam asked quietly.

"We've got enough for the holiday, don't worry." Tom said as he began to push the suitcase trolley towards baggage claim. "Daniel, if you hold on tight, I'll let you sit on here." Tom said and Daniel nodded eagerly as he jumped on the trolley. Both Sam and Tom smiled because they both knew that it was a way to keep Daniel from running off, but it was a tactic that the young boy was unaware of. They collected their suitcases as well as their rental car, before they set off for their holiday home.

* * *

**Midday**

It was absolutely scorching outside, but thankfully, the car had air conditioning so they were comfortable on their journey from the airport and they had finally arrived. After leaving their home in the early hours of the morning, they had finally arrived at Villa Alto Claro - a place that they would live in for the next week.

"Welcome to our villa." Tom announced as he pulled up on the edge of the road and looked at the beautiful building with a gate across it's driveway. "Just wait here, there should be a box that needs a pin code to get the keys out behind the letterbox." Tom said as he opened the car door, and as he did so the heat hit him like a tonne of bricks. After using the instructions he had been given by Villa Plus, the travels agents, Tom opened the gates and got back in the car.

"Do I have my own bedroom?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"Of course you have. This place has got 5 bedrooms." Tom stated. "Seriously, there aren't many two bedroom villas that you can book for a holiday." Tom explained to Sam. "Besides, some villas with three or four bedrooms were more expensive than this one." He added as he pulled onto the driveway. "

"Daniel, I want you to be in a bedroom next to ours." Sam stated as she got out of the car and even in her white maternity camisole and skinny jeans, she had begun to sweat.

"Do I have to?" Daniel moaned as Tom helped him out of his car seat.

"You're better off staying near us mate. Just in case you need the toilet in the night or something. Right, let's go and look around before we bring the bags in." Tom said as he took Daniel's hand, locked the car and followed Sam up a small pebbled staircase until they reached the front door. "Don't go running off." Tom warned his son before he unlocked the door to reveal a corridor. Well those are three of the bedrooms and a bathroom down here, and in here should be the living room. Bingo." Tom grinned as he walked into a large spacious area with comfortable looking sofas all in a semicircle facing a large TV. Then there was a dining area, a large kitchen and out of the back doors, Sam's smile grew into one similar to the Cheshire Cat as she saw that the back patio consisted of a table and chairs, four deck chairs, a BBQ area, a good sized patch of grass and then a wonderful swimming pool that she longed to lounge about in. "There is another twin bedroom and a balcony upstairs but we're not going to sleep up there so Daniel, I don't want you going upstairs without me or mummy. Okay?" Tom said sternly because he did not want an accident with a balcony. Though he would keep the door to the balcony locked at all times anyway.

"Okay." Daniel nodded.

"Right. You two can do a bit more exploring, I'm going to bring our suitcases in. By the way, down that corridor where there's three bedrooms, one of them is a double bedroom with an ensuite which me and mummy are going to share. Daniel you can chose one of the two rooms next to it, they should both be twin rooms."

* * *

After bringing all of their bags up to the villa and into the correct bedrooms - Daniel had chosen the twin bedroom right next to Sam and Tom's master one because it had French doors that opened out onto the back patio where the pool was, but Tom had already ensured that the door was locked just in case Daniel wanted to go for an early morning swim unsupervised.

"You two have a little nap while I unpack." Tom said as he shut their bedroom door to keep the air cool because they had the air con on.

"I'm fine." Sam protested.

"Come on, Daniel needs someone to cuddle up to." Tom smiled as he lifted his son onto the double bed and handed him his blanky and mini shadow toy. "But just to make it clear, you're sleeping in your own room tonight. This is just while I get our rooms ready." Tom said as Sam slowly laid down and then she cuddled up with her son.

"I love you mummy." Daniel mumbled.

"I love you too darling." Sam whispered as she kissed the top of his head before both of them drifted off.

* * *

**1pm**

Sam slowly opened her eyes to the familiar feeling of hunger in her stomach, and she realised that as she was hugging Daniel in the middle of the bed, Tom was behind her with his arms wrapped around her abdomen.

"Are you awake?" Sam whispered.

"No, I just wanted a cuddle." Tom replied before he nuzzled his nose into the back of Sam's neck and she smiled as the feeling of his warm breath sent a shiver down her spine, but in a good way.

"I'm hungry." Sam sighed.

"Well I was just waiting for you two to wake up so that we could go food shopping but if you want to stay here with Daniel then-"

"Not, I'll come with you. That way I can eat my way around the shop." Sam smiled. "Cheeky monkey, wakey wakey." Sam said softly as she gently tickled Daniel's hips.

"What?" Daniel asked sleepily.

"We're going to go shopping. Don't you want to get a few toys to play in the pool with?" Tom suggested. "And we could get a football and play on the grass too."

"I'm ready!" Daniel announced as he jumped up on the bed and Sam smiled as Tom gave her a playful swat on the bum before they got up.

* * *

"I don't like this." Daniel mumbled as he clung to Sam's bare leg - she had changed into shorts to keep her cool and they were just walking into the local supermarket called Masymas.

"Why not?" Sam asked confusedly as she stroked the top of his head to calm him whilst Tom collected a trolley. Sam watched as a very tanned lady walked past them, and she was speaking fluent Spanish down the phone until she exited the shop. "Is it the way some people are speaking?" Sam asked and Daniel nodded. "It's just another language Daniel. Like, me, you and Daddy speak English because we live in England. And most people who live in Spain will speak Spanish. There's no need to be scared of someone just because they're speaking." Sam said reassuringly and slowly, Daniel released Sam's leg as Tom joined them.

"Daniel, see if you can find where the French sticks are because if we get one then we can have a bit of a nibble on it while we walk around." Tom said as he glanced at Sam who gave a coy smile.

"There!" Daniel said as he pointed to the end of the first aisle - usually he would run off in the supermarket once he had found where they were going, but he was sticking close to his mum and dad now.

"Seeing as they're pretty small, shall we get two? Then we can have french stick for lunch." Tom suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Sam nodded as she broke the end off of a French stick and shoved it in her mouth. Tom just laughed as he picked that one and another one up and put them in the trolley. He broke off another, smaller bit and handed that to Daniel before they walked towards the children's section of the supermarket.

"Right Daniel, what toys do you want for the pool?" Tom asked.

"Shot gun this is mine." Sam said as she picked up a box containing a blue lilo - not a flimsy one but a strong, heavy duty one with a built in pillow.

"Please?" Daniel asked as he held up a box for a blue rubber ring.

"Er, you can get a rubber ring Daniel but I think this one might be a bit too big for you. Here, this one looks a better size." Tom said as he replaced the box with another and put it in the trolley. He then picked up an inflatable beach ball and put that in the trolley.

"Not to be a spoilsport or anything but I don't remember seeing a pump in the villa." Sam remarked.

"So? Whoever wants it has to blow it up. Daniel can blow up his rubber ring, and you can blow up that massive lilo." Tom smirked.

"I think I'd pass out numerous times if I had to blow that up."

"I'm joking, I'll do it for you."

"I know you will." Sam said sternly.

* * *

Daniel was happily swimming about in the late afternoon sun with his arm bands on whilst Sam laid on her lilo and Tom floated besides her as he kept his arms on the edge of her lilo and rested his chin on his hands.

"You look so beautiful like that." Tom whispered. Sam was in plain white bikini with her bump out in the open as she kept her eyes closed and relaxed in the lovely Spanish weather.

"Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant but I just want to hold her in my arms right now." Sam said quietly so that Daniel didn't hear because he still didn't know that Sam was having a baby girl. "I mean, as she grows up, I'll wish I was pregnant with her again but at the moment, I just want to speed everything up after this holiday and then give birth again."

"Mm. I can't wait for the birth either. It just fascinates me so much how your body knows what to do." Tom admitted. "Have you decided on what's happening with Daniel when you go into labour yet?"

"Yeah. I think I'm going to ask Fletch if he can look after Daniel for a few hours. I just, I don't want to have to worry about him because Daniel was frightened when I had morning sickness and I think he'd be petrified if he saw me in that much pain. He can stay with us for early labour if he wants to, but when I get to the pushing stage, we could walk him across the road to Fletch's place."

"Yep. Okay." Tom nodded. "Y'know... If you're up for it later, we've still got to christen our bed, if you know what I mean." Tom grinned.

"I don't know, maybe tomorrow because I'm still a bit jet lagged."

"Sam, we had a two and a bit hour flight, and the time different is one hour ahead." Tom laughed.

"Yeah yeah, help me off of this thing without getting my hair wet. I'm hungry _and_ I need the toilet." Sam stated and Tom rolled his eyes in amusement as he put one arm around Sam's shoulders and then put the other under her smooth legs and because he could stand on the floor, he lifted her off of the lilo and walked her to the edge of the pool where there was a couple of steps so that she could get out of the pool.

"Thank you." Tom said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Sam smiled cheekily as she wrapped a towel around her, put her flip flops on and then walked inside.

* * *

**9pm**

Sam was fast asleep and Tom had just decided to call it a night too after watching some football when Daniel came into their bedroom.

"Daddy-"

"Sshh!" Tom ordered and then Daniel noticed that his mother was tucked under the thin bed sheet and she was fast asleep. It was freezing in their room because Sam liked having the air con on very low, but as soon as Tom had come in, he had turned it up a bit because she'd never know the difference once she was asleep. "What's the matter?" Tom asked quietly as he walked over and crouched down in front of his son.

"I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you and mummy?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, you're old enough to sleep on your own now." Tom sighed. "Come on, I'll come and tuck you back in." Tom walked the infant just next door and laid him in one of the twin beds that had his blue night light switched on just next to it. "Remember what I said about the morning, if you wake up early, don't go into the pool okay. Just come and wake me up and I'll see if its too early to get up or not."

"Can't I wake mummy?"

"No mate, the baby makes mummy a bit more tired than usual because her body is making another human inside of her. Can you imagine how much energy that takes?"

"A lot." Daniel mumbled.

"Exactly. So if in the night you can't sleep again, or you need the toilet or whatever, can you come and wake me up rather than mummy. Because we want mummy and the baby to get enough sleep don't we?" Tom asked and Daniel nodded. "Good boy. Right, night night." Tom kissed Daniel on the forehead before he closed the bedroom door because Daniel and his air con on, but Sam had left it on fairly high so he definitely wouldn't get too cold and the remote control was out of his reach. Tom then returned to his own room where he found the bed empty, but the ensuite door was closed. Once Tom had climbed into bed, Sam came out and got under the covers next to him. "By the way, if you get hungry in the night, I left you a little present in the draw in your bedside table." Tom stated and Sam opened it to find a box of almond butter cookies that she had taken a fancy to when they went shopping.

"Thank you." Sam smiled as she snuggled into his chest. "Have you turned the air con up?" Sam demanded.

"You had it on too low, I didn't want you getting too cold." Tom warned. "Besides, your skin is cool to the touch so you can't be hot now." Tom stated as he checked by putting the back of his hand to Sam's forehead.

"Shut up." Sam muttered playfully as she entwined her legs with his.

"Do you think Shadow, Alex and Panda have driven the people in the kennel mad yet from barking?" Tom smirked.

"I'm sure they've had worse."

"Really? You think they've had worse than three protective dogs who try to guard their pregnant owner every minute of the day and now they're completely separated from you, sharing an enclosure?" Tom joked and Sam smiled. "Mind you, I think they're probably a bit relieved that Daniel isn't pulling on their fur."

"I think their probably relieved that you aren't putting Daniel on their backs and pretending that he's riding a horse." Sam remarked. "Right, I'm tired. Night."

"Night night. And goodnight to my beautiful daughter." Tom whispered as he snaked one arm around Sam's bump and kept it there for any movements. "I think she's gone to sleep." Tom smiled. "Oh, she isn't the only one." Tom smirked as he noticed that Sam had closed her eyes. So he took did the same before he was in the land of dreams.

* * *

**Coming up: A little bit more holiday stuff and then Sam, Tom and Daniel head home. Then Sam has her official 20 week scan. How will Daniel deal with the news of having a sister rather than a brother?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	45. Chapter 45

**Monday 8th July 2019, Midday**

Sam, who was 18 weeks pregnant, was happily sunbathing in a black bikini on the sun lounger in Spain when she jumped at sudden movement; Tom was moving her chair again and he dragged her into the shade.

"Will you stop doing this every day!" Sam moaned as she sat up and then stretched her arms out.

"Well you've been out in the sun for hours, I just don't want you to fall asleep in the sun." Tom stated as he sat on his sun lounger with Daniel on the end of it as he rubbed in some sun cream. "Plus Daniel made me do it." Tom added.

"No I didn't!"

"Did he now?"

"Mummy I didn't!"

"I know you didn't. I'll get my own back later."

"I look forward to it." Tom winked but as Sam glared at him, she was thankful that Daniel had not noticed what Tom was hinting towards.

"What's for lunch?" Sam asked.

"There are burgers on the BBQ right now, and I've made a salad to go with it."

"I helped!" Daniel stated.

"And Daniel helped." Tom added.

* * *

**9pm**

"So, are you going to get your own back on me then from earlier?" Tom asked as he closed the bedroom door behind him after Daniel had been out to bed an hour ago.

"Only if we can have a shower together afterwards." Sam replied.

"We can do, whatever you want." Tom said softly as he took her hand in his and he gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

"Well then can we skip what you had in mind and just go for a shower together and talk? I really don't have the energy to do anything." Sam admitted.

"Yeah, of course we can. I'll wash everything for you." Tom said softly as he took Sam's hand and lead her into the ensuite bathroom. He closed and locked the door behind them before he switched the shower on to get it running. "Have you decided when we're going to tell Daniel that you're carrying a baby girl?" Tom asked as he pulled his shirt and swimming trunks off so that he was completely naked.

"Yeah. I want to wait until we go to my 20 week scan and then he can find out from the sonographer and we can pretend to find out then too." Sam replied whilst Tom untied her bikini top, then he let it drop on the floor.

"Sounds good." Tom nodded as Sam pulled her bikini bottom down and then they both stepped into the shower under the stream of water. "Have you thought about names yet?" Tom asked.

"Kind of... I haven't really got any favourites yet though. What about you?"

"No, me neither. But I do know that her middle name is going to be Samantha." Tom smiled as he wrapped his arms around her bump.

"No. I appreciate the thought but you know I hate that name because my dad called me it. I just want to forget about my parents and I don't want anything reminding me of them."

"Okay, no Samantha then." Tom nodded as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Your body is definitely getting ready to feed a baby." Tom smiled as he smoothed his hands over her bump and then cupped her chest in his hands.

"I know... I just can't wait to have her against my chest for the first time. I still remember when I had Daniel and I started crying because I didn't know what to do, but you helped me."

"Mm. Y'know every one says when they hold their baby that they're so light and tiny. But I thought Daniel was a lot heavier than I was expecting. And he was only 6lbs 3 ozs."

"I thought he was heavy at first too." Sam admitted. "But I still don't understand now he was more than a week overdue and he still came out that small."

"Why? Would you rather push out a 9 lb baby?" Tom joked.

"Ouch." Sam grimaced at the thought of doing such a thing.

"Anyway, let's get you squeaky clean because you've been sweating all day." Tom smirked as he bent down and picked up the shower gel bottle.

"I would protest but who am I kidding? I've been sweating like a pig." Sam admitted proudly and Tom lathered some of the shower gel in his hands before he began rubbing it on her back. Slowly, he massaged the refreshing lather all over Sam's back, then her bump and chest before his hand slipped between Sam's legs and she squinted her disapproving eyes at him.

"What? I said I'd wash everything for you." Tom grinned and Sam rolled her eyes as Tom bent down and then began washing her legs for her. "Your legs are so smooth."

"I know, I waxed them."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I couldn't be bothered to bend down shave them every other day or so, so I just waxed them for the holiday and then after that I'm going to leave my legs to look like a gorilla and then I'll wax again sometime near when our daughter is due."

"So you're not going to shave your legs for about 20 weeks?" Tom laughed.

"Why not? The only person that sees them is you and you've seen me at my worst."

"Fair point." Tom said as he stood up properly and then he slowly leant in and kissed Sam on the lips. "I can't tell you enough how beautiful you are." Tom whispered and Sam awkwardly looked down at the floor before her eyes met with her husband's. "I mean it."

"Yeah, I know you do." Sam said gratefully and she shared eye contact with her husband for a few more moments until he spoke.

"Come on, you look tired. Let's rinse off."

* * *

**Saturday 13th July 2019, 5pm**

It was the day that the Kent Family arrived home in England and Tom was just driving down their road after they had gone to the kennels to pick their dogs up, but found that the kennel had closed and that they would have to pay for another night for three dogs in the kennel unnecessarily, just because their bags had taken longer to arrive than they had expected.

"I'll go and get the keys from Fletch." Tom stated as he pulled up on their driveway and then he walked across the road whilst Sam got out of the car and opened the back door.

"Daniel... Daniel come on wake up, we're home." Sam said softly as she gave him a little nudge. She was now 19 weeks pregnant.

"Wh... I thought you said we were going to the kennels first." Daniel stated confusedly.

"We went there but they'd closed so we'll have to go and pick them up in the morning I'm afraid." Sam sighed as she lifted Daniel out of the car and onto his own two feet.

"Sam, watch it!" Tom warned loudly and Sam looked up to see that there were three dogs sprinting across the road straight towards her and immediately sat at her feet.

"What? I don't understand." Sam stated confusedly as she she patted Shadow, Alex and Panda on their heads.

"I thought you were running a bit late so I went and picked the dogs up for you and I was going to ring you to tell you not to bother going to the kennels but I couldn't get through to either of you." Fletch explained as he and Tom came across the road.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I put our hand luggage bags in the boot because I just wanted to get home when we were at the airport." Tom stated.

"So, how was your holiday?" Fletch asked as Tom unlocked their front door.

"Brilliant! We had our own pool! And I had my own room and I got the window seat on the way home on the plane and there was turbulence and the plane was shaking lots and lots!" Daniel proclaimed.

"Yeah and the turbulence scared the hell out of Sam because she was worried about the baby." Tom said quietly as the two men grabbed the suitcases from the boot whilst Sam ushered her son and the three dogs inside.

"Turbulence can't harm a baby." Fletch stated confusedly.

"Yeah, we both know that but when she was actually in the situation, she was petrified." Tom replied quietly so that Sam didn't hear him.

"So other than the flight home, you had a good time yeah?" Fletch asked.

"Yep. And it was all thanks to you." Sam smiled as her husband dropped the suitcases on the floor and bent down to give her a passionate kiss.

"Oi, keep it PG." Fletch warned and Sam and Tom pulled apart to see Daniel was standing there with his hands over his eyes.

"How about we order pizza for dinner tonight?" Tom suggested.

"Good idea but I'm warning you, I will eat an entire large pizza to myself." Sam stated as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"Right, I'll leave you to it." Fletch concluded.

"Yeah, thanks for collecting the dogs. Sam looked like she was going to cry when she found out that the kennels was shut." Tom smirked.

"I did not!" Sam protested from inside the bathroom.

"No problem, I'll see you at work on Monday." Fletch said goodbye to Daniel whilst Tom carried the rest of the bags in, before he left and Tom got the pizza menu out. Then he sat with Daniel on his lap and Sam besides him on the sofa as they decided what to have for dinner.

"Daniel, on a scale of one to ten, how hungry are you?" Tom asked.

"Ten! I'm starving!" Daniel replied - thankfully he wasn't old enough yet to reply with something sarcastic.

"And you?" Tom questioned.

"Off the scale hungry." Sam stated.

"Alright. How about we get two medium pizzas, two sides and two desserts to share between us?" Tom suggested.

"Make that two large pizzas and you'll have a deal." Sam smirked.

"Sam, we're not going to eat that much pizza!" Tom laughed.

"We will and if we don't, we can have it cold tomorrow. Besides, look there's a deal for two large pizzas, two sides, two desserts and one bottle of drink and it works out about the same price as if you had two medium pizzas."

"Well we both know that money isn't a problem." Tom smirked.

"Mm. We still need to sort out our money though and organise how much of it we're going to spend on their new rooms." Sam stated - they had decided that for now, they were better off saving their people's postcode lottery winnings because they didn't want anything like new cars or new houses; they simply didn't need them. Instead, they had agreed on saving the money until they found something useful that they would spend the money on such as a Disney holiday or money for their children to go to university. Besides, the longer it was in their bank, the more interest that they would earn on it. "But anyway, let's get back to food."

"Go on then, which two large pizzas do you guys want?" Tom asked.

"I'm perfectly happy with a Texas BBQ pizza. Chicken, bacon and BBQ sauce on a pizza, how could you go wrong?" Sam stated.

"Alright, I think I might be in trouble if I don't get that one, so you can chose the other pizza Daniel. Which one do you want?" Tom asked. "You want the tuna sweetcorn melt?" Tom suggested jokily as they both knew how much their son hated anything to do with fish or seafood.

"Ugh, no!" Daniel protested. Sam was looking down the menu when she noticed the new pizza: BBQ pulled pork feast. Now she wanted that one too because she had a real craving for sweet BBQ sauce, all she had to do was convince her son to want it.

"Daniel, do you like BBQ sauce?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why don't you get the BBQ pulled pork feast? It's got BBQ sauce, pulled pork, spicy minced pork and spicy minced beef."

"But-" Tom was about to argue that Daniel wouldn't like it because it could've been spicy but they both knew that Daniel could take the heat when they had taken him to nandos with them and he had had some extra hot sauce with his chips and he had asked for more after.

"But what?" Sam asked innocently.

"Nothing." Tom muttered. "Is that what you want Daniel?" Tom asked.

"Yes please." Daniel smiled.

"Okay. That's the pizzas chosen, now which two sides do you want?"

"How about... Breaded chicken strips and potato wedges?"

* * *

Sam and Tom were sitting on the sofa whilst Daniel sat in between them as they ate away without plates to save on washing up.

"Daniel, I've got my 20 week scan next week and we'll hopefully be able to find out the gender of the baby. Do you want to come with us?" Sam asked. She felt bad that she knew and he didn't but she didn't want to get into trouble for doing a scan at work already and it wasn't fair to ask Daniel to keep such a secret.

"Will we see the baby in black and white again?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah. And this time, the baby will be much bigger." Sam smiled.

"Okay." He nodded.

* * *

**Saturday 20th July 2019, 11:30am**

At 20 weeks pregnant, Sam laid on the examination bed as the sonographer ran the transducer over her bump whilst Tom and Daniel sat besides her on the other side of the bed to the machine.

"Okay, so I've checked for an atrial septal defect. And, though there is always a risk of it being undetected at this stage, unless your baby has a very, very small ASD, they don't have one because I can't see anything wrong with their heart." She explained.

"And if he or she does have a small ASD?" Sam asked impatiently.

"Well then, if it's that small then it's probably not worth operating on to fix because a small ASD wouldn't cause any problems." The sonographer replied. "Okay, so you want to know your baby's gender yes?"

"Yes." Sam, Tom and Daniel replied at the same time.

"Okay. It looks like... You are carrying a beautiful baby girl Mrs Kent. Congratulations!"

"That's wonderful." Sam smiled as she tired to pretend that she was surprised before both she and Tom looked at Daniel for his response.

"So I'm going to have a sister?" Daniel asked.

"Yep." Sam nodded. "How do you feel about that?" Sam asked curiously as she held his hand, but Daniel just hung his head and shrugged. "Hey, just because your little sister might not kick a ball around with you, doesn't mean that you still won't be friends. Imagine all the games that you can play together, and all the things that you can teach her like playing snap. Or you could help me and daddy to teach her words and numbers when she's old enough. You and her could be best friends when she's here."

"I already have a best friend from the crèche." Daniel pouted.

"Yeah, and you can have more than one best friend." Tom stated. "Hey, you should be happy that it's a girl because this way, we have to decorate your old playroom in pink, and that means that I'm going to need an assistant painted to help me."

"I can do it!" Daniel said as he eagerly put his hand up.

"There we go. See if you were having a brother, then we would just leave the room blue. So there are advantages of having a sister." Tom said whilst Sam wiped the gel off of her bump because the sonographer had finished.

"Alright. Here are your pictures of the scan, and you're ready to go." The sonographer smiled.

* * *

After the scan, the Kent Family went home and Sam and Daniel sat on the sofa whilst Tom made lunch in the kitchen.

"Y'know, if you speak to your baby sister, she can hear you." Sam stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her ears are already developed so, even though your voice might be a bit muffled, she can still hear your voice and recognise it. Why don't you say hello? She might give you a little kick back to say that she's there." Sam said as she took her son's hand and put it on her bump to the left of her navel where she knew her daugter's restless feet were laying.

"What do I say?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"It's up to you. You can talk to her about anything you want to. I'll tell you a secret, I was speaking to her the other day and I was telling her hoped I hoped that she didn't inherit her father's intelligence." Sam whispered and Daniel giggled to himself. "See? You can say anything." Sam said encouragingly.

"Hello... Um, can you stop making mummy so hungry please? Because she eats everything in the house at the moment." Daniel asked jokily and Sam couldn't help but smile as her unborn daughter, who had been rather active that night, decided that that was the moment to kick about and Daniel could feel taps against his hand from inside of his mother's womb. "Does it hurt when she kicks?" Daniel asked curiously.

"No. In fact I quite like the feeling, it let's me know that everything's alright." Sam replied softly.

"How did the baby get in there? Did you just wish for a baby?" Daniel asked and Sam frowned as she tried to work out how to explain it to him. She didn't just want to patronise her son by saying something silly like the stalks brought her or that they'd tell him when he was older. But she didn't want to go into the gory detail either.

"Basically, me and daddy love each other so much, that we decided to have another baby. And to make this baby, me and daddy needed to make love to each other." Sam explained slowly and she knew she could've done far better but she couldn't take it back now.

"What do you mean make 'love'? Like, kissing or hugging?" Daniel asked.

"No, me and your daddy had to have intercourse, in order to make you, and your sister." Sam replied and once again, she regretted what she said.

"What's intercourse?"

"Well you know that we've talked about how boys like you and daddy have a penis and girls like me have a vagina?" Sam asked as she and Tom had used the correct terminology during potty training rather than saying something stupid like 'willies'.

"Yeah."

"Well to make a baby, a man has to put his-"

"Lunch is ready." Tom announced and thankfully, Daniel jumped up and ran out into the kitchen. Sam let out a huge sigh of relief before she got up and went out into the kitchen too.

* * *

**Coming up: The Kent Family go out for a meal for Sam's 33rd birthday (I know, time had flown by!) but when Sam is rather adventurous with food in the new Chinese buffet restaurant, she is struck with a severe case of food poisoning. **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	46. Chapter 46

**Thursday 29th August 2019, 6pm**

"Thirty three! You're getting old, woman." Tom laughed as he, Daniel and Sam sat at a small table in the brand new Chinese buffet restaurant that had opened that week in Holby.

"Says you Mr Thirty Five year old." Sam retorted. "Anyway, it's only less than two weeks until your party isn't it?" Sam smiled as she looked down at Daniel who was sitting at his own chair with a cushion underneath him so that he could reach the table. "You're going to be four years old. God, the time has just flown by."

"Tell me about it. You're 25 weeks pregnant and we still haven't gotten Daniel's new bedroom or the nursery finished yet." Tom stated.

"Yeah, and we've still got 15 weeks to do the nursery, and Daniel's room isn't urgent so there's no need to panic." Sam stated. "Right, shall we go and get some food?" Sam suggested, so the family got up and headed for the buffet bar. Tom got a plate for both himself, and for Daniel so that he could serve food up for his son whilst Sam got her own. Little did she know that she was serving food onto her plate that had been cross contaminated with raw meat. And that was going to have horrific effects...

* * *

**Friday 30th August 2019**

The next day, Sam and Tom were at work whilst Daniel was in the hospital crèche and throughout the day, Sam had had phases of nausea on and off. But because it was her second pregnancy, she knew that nausea attacks came and went as they pleased so she just worked through them. Only it got to 2pm and she had had a bought of nausea for quite a long time and it hadn't passed. She had skipped lunch because of it, and she had begun to suspect that it maybe wasn't nausea associated with pregnancy because it was never usually this bad, nor this overpowering. Sam had to take a moment as she quickly walked to the toilets and locked herself in a cubicle. Within minutes of being in there, she knew she was going to be sick so she held her ponytail behind her back and knelt on the floor, awaiting the inevitable.

Moments later, though it seemed like an age to Sam, she projectile vomited into the toilet bowl twice before she collapsed onto her backside on the floor and leant against the door of the toilet. That was confirmation that it wasn't pregnancy related sickness because she had never projectile vomited because of her baby, let alone more than once in the space of a minute. Usually, it was only a little bit of vomit, but this time it pounded up her throat of such a force that she was thrown forward to vomit into the toilet. It was then as she leant against the back of the door that she noticed how achy her limbs were and now dreadful she felt. She felt so unwell and she didn't want to be alone so she took her phone out of her pocket and dialled her husband.

"_Hello_?"

"Tom, I... I don't feel well. I've been sick and I need you to... Take me home. Please?"

"_Yeah? Okay sweetheart, where are you? I'll come and get you_." Tom asked worriedly.

"The toilets near cubicles." Sam croaked.

"_Alright, I'll be right there_." Sam hung up the phone and put it in her pocket before she realised that she was going to have get up and open the door. Slowly, Sam moved to her knees and then stood up with the assistance of the wall before she clicked the lock open awaiting the arrival of her husband. Why did she have to have a buffet the night before? She had eaten so much until she could eat no more and, though she didn't yet know the cause of her symptoms, she knew that eating so many platefuls of greasy food during pregnancy probably wasn't a good idea in the first place. "Sam?" Tom questioned and slowly Sam opened the cubicle door. "Woah, you weren't kidding." Tom concluded as he saw the vomit in the toilet bowl. "What's up? Is this pregnancy related or not?" Tom asked as he reached past Sam and flushed the toilet before he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"It's not. Please take me home before it happens again." Sam pleaded.

"Okay, come on. Let's go and get Daniel-"

"No, leave him here. Pick him up later, I don't want him to see me like this." Sam panted as she put her hands on her bump which she wished wasn't there so that she could push hard down on her abdomen for some relief.

"Alright. Come on, let's get you tucked up in bed." Tom said softly as he put his arm around her. Just as they were walking out, a female nurse walked in and held the door open for them, though she was shocked to see Tom in the women's toilets. "Thanks." Tom mouthed before he slowly walked Sam to the staffroom where they found Fletch.

"Where've you been all morning? I've barely seen you." Fletch asked Sam cheerily whilst Tom got their things from their lockers.

"We think she's got a bug so I'm taking her home." Tom explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?" Fletch asked but Sam just shrugged as she stood with her arms folded across her chest.

"Actually, yeah. Would you possibly be able to pick Daniel up at the end of your shift and bring him home? It's just that Sam doesn't want him seeing her this ill and I don't think that she's going to make the journey home in one go and I don't want to leave her by herself later so..." Tom explained quietly.

"Yeah sure, that's fine. Don't worry about Daniel, I've got it covered."

"Thanks Fletch. I'll give the crèche a ring when we get home and I'll just tell them that you're going to pick him up." Tom said gratefully as he stood with Sam's handbag and his keys and wallet in his hands. He didn't want to waste time getting changed out of his scrubs when Sam was obviously so uncomfortable and wanted to go home.

"Alright, I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks." Tom said so that Sam didn't have to speak before he put his arm around her shoulders and walked her out to the car.

* * *

Sam had been silent for the entire 15 minute journey which why why Tom got worried when Sam finally spoke up.

"Can you put your foot down?" She mumbled.

"You want me to pull over?" Tom asked but Sam shook her head so he increased his speed slightly as he turned down their road. Rather than backing onto the driveway and into the garage like usual, Tom just pulled straight into the driveway and jumped out. He opened the front door stepped back and Sam walked as fast as she could without running into the downstairs bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Tom locked the car and the front door before he stood in the hallway and unfortunately, he couldn't help but hear Sam's distress on the other side of the door; it wasn't just a vomiting bug.

It was a good five minutes until Sam came out and she leant in the doorway with her hands on her 26 week bump.

"Why don't you go and get into bed? I'll bring you some water up and come and tuck you in in a minute yeah?" Tom suggested.

"I feel awful." Sam groaned.

"Yeah l kind of worked that out from the sound effects." Tom admitted sheepishly and Sam rolled her eyes before she hugged her stomach. "Go on, you go to bed, I've got to disinfect the entire bathroom." Tom smirked.

"This isn't funny." Sam moaned as she slowly made her way to the staircase.

"I didn't say it was." Tom said innocently.

* * *

"Right, the downstairs bathroom has been bleached so if you stick to using the ensuite while you're ill, we can try and stop this thing from spreading." Tom said as he came up to the bedroom where Sam was lying in bed with her knees up to her bump; she was curled up as small as she could get.

"I still think you're finding this funny." Sam huffed.

"Of course I don't, I'm worried about my unborn daughter." Tom quipped as he placed a bottle of water on her bedside table. "Oh come on. There's no need for us to be depressed just because you've got the runs." Tom joked and Sam squinted her eyes at him. "What? You have!" Tom laughed.

"Mm. Whatever, I'm gonna be sick again." Sam groaned and Tom pulled back the duvet as Sam slowly sat up.

"If you didn't like my breakfast I made you, you should've just said." Tom joked halfheartedly as he walked Sam into the ensuite bathroom. Tom felt bad as Sam remained quiet whilst she stood in front of the toilet but for her, the feeling was much worst. The nausea had become seriously intense and Sam felt slightly flushed as she waited for what seemed like forever as she knew that she was going to vomit soon, she just hoped it would get over and done with. "You need to tie this back." Tom warned as he stood behind her and pulled her hair behind her back - she had untied it so that she could lie in bed with her head on her pillow comfortably. Sam suddenly inhaled before she bent over and practically chucked up her guts. "It's alright, let it out... Let it out... Well done." Tom said softly as he kept her hair out of her face until she had finished vomiting, and when she had, she had been doing so for so long that she needed to catch her breath back.

Tom left her to recover for a few moments before he guided her back to bed.

"For the record, your breakfast that you made me was disgusting." Sam huffed as she got back into bed but remained sitting up as Tom pulled the cover over her legs and bump before he sat on the edge of the bed besides her.

"I thought you liked porridge." Tom protested.

"Yeah, I do. But when I only like it made with water when I feel a bit sick and I want something light. Otherwise I hate it made with water. Why didn't you make it with milk?"

"Because I thought you were watching the calories." Tom protested and Sam frowned. "Not that I'm saying you need to watch what you eat because you're fine, you're perfectly fit." Tom said quickly. "Please, don't take that in the wrong way, I didn't mean to-"

"Calm down. You know better than anyone that just because I'm pregnant, it doesn't mean that I'm gonna cry at everything you say-" Sam paused as she screwed up her face in pain and clutched her bump.

"You alright?"

"Stomach cramps." Sam muttered.

"What? Like period pains?" Tom asked worriedly.

"No, it's abdominal cramps. The baby's fine." Sam stated.

* * *

**4pm**

Tom was in tescos getting some shopping including some rehydration salts for Sam when suddenly, his phone began ringing.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Tom_." Fletch said. "_What symptoms has Sam got_?"

"Why?"

"_Just answer me, I think I know what's wrong with her_."

"Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, achy limbs and loss of appetite." Tom stated confusedly, yet quietly because he was in public.

"_Right. Didn't you talk about taking Sam out for dinner for her birthday yesterday? Did you go the the new Chinese one by the shopping centre?"_

"Yes, why?"

"_I was just checking the Holby news website and there's a story on there that 7 people have reported cases of food poisoning from there, and 3 of them have been admitted to hospital for dehydration and they've been diagnosed with salmonella._" Fletch explained. _"And all seven of those reported had the stir fry __pork in black bean sauce_." He added.

"Yeah, I think Sam had that too." Tom admitted sadly.

"_I've done as much research as I can, and there's no threat to the baby as long as you keep Sam hydrated."_

"Alright, thanks Fletch. What's happening to the restaurant?"

"_Er, I think there's an investigation being organised into the hygiene of their kitchens_."

"Right well I'd better get back to Sam."

"_Aren't you with her?"_

"No, I'm just getting some shopping in for her."

"_Okay, um how about you pack a bag for Daniel, and he can stay over ours tonight?" _Fletch offered.

"I couldn't ask you to-"

_"Nonsense, he loves playtime with Noah. It'd be no trouble, we can give him dinner, he can sleep in Noah's room and we can drop him off at the crèche tomorrow morning so that you can look after Sam_."

"Er... You sure?"

"_Yeah, it's not a problem. I'll just tell him that mummy's ill and maybe he could give Sam a phone call before he goes to bed_."

"That'd be brilliant, thanks Fletch."

_"No worries. Listen, Zoe's watching me like a hawk so I'd better get on but I'll bring Daniel back to mine and if the timings right and Sam's not being ill, maybe Daniel could pop over for ten minutes of so to just say hello to her_."

"Yep okay, I'll see you later."

"_Bye_."

* * *

After unpacking the shopping, Tom carried the carrier bag of things for Sam up to the bedroom where Sam was sitting reading her kindle with the curtains closed.

"Have you been sick since I left?" Tom asked as he unpacked bottles of water, rehydration salts, a box of paracetamol, plain crackers and apples.

"No but I did have..."

"Diarrhoea again?" Tom questioned and Sam nodded. "Alright. Well I got you these lucozade tables, caffeine free of course to give you a bit of energy and Fletch is going to have Daniel over for tonight so we don't have to worry about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And Fletch rang me about something by the way, I know why you're ill." Tom stated solemnly as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's not a bug. You've almost certainly got salmonella from the Chinese where we ate last night. Seven other people have got it, it's in the news." Tom explained.

"I've got salmonella, and I'm 25 weeks pregnant." Sam said concernedly to herself.

"Oi, the only danger to you and the baby is dehydration so as long as you keep on drinking, you'll both be fine." Tom said softly as he put his hand on top of hers. "When was the last time that you had a wee?" He asked curiously.

"Um... About an hour ago. And I checked, it was diluted. Not concentrated." Sam stated confidently.

"Alright. You fancy anything to eat?"

"No." Sam shook her head. "Can we go and sit in the garden? I could do with some air."

"Yeah sure. And if you need to, you can use the bathroom downstairs now seeing as we know that it's not contagious." Tom smiled. **(A/N I know salmonella can be contagious but please pretend that it's not for this story :)) **"I'll take these for you." Tom added as he picked up the lucozade energy tablets and a bottle of water.

Sam groaned as she sat up because her body was aching all over, and she had a really bad stomach ache - both nausea and cramps at the same time.

"I bet your daughters's having a right party in there; there must be a lot more room in there, I can't believe I've got anything left to come out either end." Sam smirked and Tom was slightly worried as she slowly went down the stairs one step at a time but he let out a sigh of relief when she was safely on her feet at the bottom of the steps.

"Has she been kicking and moving like normal?" Tom asked.

"Yeah. Y'know I didn't think I could feel any worse when I was throwing up but then your daughter slammed her foot against my abdomen and made me feel bloody awful." Sam complained as she sat down on a deck chair out in the garden where it was nice and cool.

* * *

"Fletch had just texted me, he's on the way home with Daniel now. And he asked if it's alright for Daniel to pop in and see us quickly." Tom stated. "You think you're gonna be needing the toilet bowl anytime soon?"

"Honestly, I can't tell." Sam admitted. "But tell him to bring Daniel around, I haven't seen him since this morning."

"Alright."

"If um, if Daniel says he doesn't want to stay over at Fletch's or he asks why he can't stay here overnight, why don't we just have him? Because I know I'm still ill, but we know it's not contagious now so there's no harm in having him here."

"Okay but if he's excited about sleeping over with Noah, which he probably will be, we'll just let him go yeah?"

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

"Hello you little monkey." Tom smiled as he opened the door to greet Fletch and Daniel so he picked his son up and gave him a big hug.

"Is mummy okay?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? She's getting some air in the garden." Tom stated and Daniel zoomed through the living room and shot outside.

"How's Sam doing?" Fletch asked as he entered the home and shut the door behind him.

"She's still either vomiting or having diarrhoea about once every half an hour or so, but she's in good spirits. I know she wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't pregnant but she is really trying to drink plenty of water and she's eaten a couple of bits so I'm not too worried."

* * *

"Mummy!"

"Gently." Sam warned as her son ran up to her where she was sitting on a deck chair and he immediately halted in front of her.

"Is this the baby making you sick?"

"No, you know when we cook something like cakes and it has raw eggs in it so I tell you not to lick the bowl because it can make you ill? Well that causes food poisoning and that's what I've got. I got it from the restaurant that we ate at last night but given that you're feeling fine, I would've thought that you haven't got it." Sam explained.

"Is daddy looking after you?" Daniel asked and Sam looked up to see Tom and Fletch coming out of the house and onto the patio besides them.

"Yeah, daddy's looking after me really well." Sam smiled. "But hey, are you looking forward to having a sleepover with Noah?" Sam asked.

"Yeah! Uncle Fletch is letting us make biscuits and everything!"

"Really? Well Daddy's packed you a bag with everything you need in it and just in case you miss home, I've put mini Shadow in there too for you, okay?" Sam asked and Daniel nodded.

"You're looking remarkably well for someone with food poisoning." Fletch stated.

"Yeah well, I have to look after myself properly." Sam replied as she put both hands on her bump. "Besides, there's only so many times that you can vomit in one day until you get used to it." Sam quipped and Fletch laughed.

"How long will mummy be sick for?" Daniel asked.

"Um, it's hard to day. Salmonella could last anywhere from 2 to 7 days." Tom stated and Daniel appeared upset. "But don't worry, you won't be staying with Fletch until mummy gets better, just for tonight and then you'll be back at home. It's only while mummy gets over the worst of it." Tom said reassuringly.

* * *

"I'm sorry if I wake you in the night." Sam apologised as she laid in bed, curled up to deal with the abdominal cramps whilst Tom laid besides her, and facing her - he wanted to give her a cuddle but she had made it clear that she wasn't feeling up for anything intimate and she just wanted a bit of space to herself.

"Don't be sorry, one: you can't help it and two: I'd rather you wake me up anyway, I want to be there for you when you're not very well. And it's not as if I've never seen a bit of puke before. In fact, I've had it dripping down my chest before from a complete stranger." Tom chuckled softly and Sam smiled as she remembered that on their engagement day, he had smelt strongly of sick, but that didn't made the situation any less romantic because both were doctors and were used to it. "Oh. Fletch just texted me... He says Daniel's fast asleep and that he hopes you feel better soon." Tom smiled.

"At least Daniel's alright then. I'm going to try and get some sleep okay?"

"Yeah sure. Goodnight."

"Night night."

* * *

**Coming up: Daniel's 4th birthday party arrives, will all go to plan with lots of screaming 3 and 4 year olds in their house and garden?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	47. Chapter 47

**I'd just like to point out that I've made a new Casualty 'Community' if you'd like to check it out on my profile :) Also, I've just had a look at my stats and realised that there are people all over the world reading this story so if just like to say hi to those in the UK, USA, Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Isle of Man, France, China, Netherlands, Dominican Revar, Cyprus, Russia, Guernsey, India, Austria, Norway, Italy, Greece, Israel, Brazil, Turkey and Germany!**

**Sunday 8th September 2019, 6:30am**

It was the day before Daniel's 4th birthday but for convenience, Sam and Tom had decided to have Daniel's party on the Sunday so that all of his friends from the crèche could come, as well as Noah, Fletch's 5 year old son who had just begun his first year at school. But because Daniel was going to be one of the oldest in the year, he wasn't starting school for another year. And of course, on the morning of the party, Daniel couldn't sleep...

"Mummy... Mummy it's time to get up." Daniel whispered as he prodded Sam's arm. Sam was 27 weeks pregnant and it had been a full week since she had had any symptoms of the food poisoning. Her appetite wasn't quite back to normal yet but with Tom's encouragement, she was eating as usual and feeling a lot better.

"What?" Sam croaked sleepily before she glanced at her phone. "Daniel it's half past six, we've still got another half an hour at least before we need to get up." Sam stated, but she knew that Daniel was going to wake early in the morning so she couldn't help but smile.

"Pleeeeeeeeease? I promise I'll be really really good today and plus I really really need a wee too." Daniel stated and Sam laughed lightly before she slowly sat up and stood out of bed with her tight camisole showing off her rather large bump.

"Come on then, toilet it is." Sam smiled as she too needed the toilet, and even though she knew that Daniel could go to the toilet by himself including undressing and redressing himself, as well as flushing the toilet and washing his hands properly but for some reason, Daniel still liked the company of being with someone when he went, and it was the same at the crèche too, he always had one of the carers there go into the toilets with him so Sam had to go with him into the ensuite where they had a step by the toilet, and another step by one of the two sinks for Daniel to reach them. Sam leant against the wall whilst Daniel went before she decided that she couldn't wait much longer either because of her unborn child's active morning habits. "Right, you wash your hands while I go to the toilet aright?"

"Okay." Daniel nodded and thankfully, the sinks weren't in a separate room, but they were down a slim corridor of the bathroom near the door so from where he was, he couldn't see Sam and she felt comfortable enough to go. A few minutes later, both were ready to leave the ensuite and Sam noticed that Tom was still fast asleep.

"Daniel, do you want to go and wake daddy?" Sam suggested playfully and so Daniel climbed on top of the double bed.

"Daddy! It's morning!" Daniel said demandingly and Tom opened his eyes before he closed them.

"Just give me ten more minutes." Tom moaned so Sam decided that because it was almost Daniel's birthday, for once he could be a bit cheeky.

"Daniel." Sam whispered and he turned around to see Sam holding a half empty glass of water from her bedside table. Daniel giggled before he took it and poured it onto Tom's face and so he jumped up.

"Daniel! Let me guess, mummy told you to do that?" Tom shrieked as he dried his face on the bath towel from the radiator.

"Maybe." Sam admitted sheepishly. "Right, come on. We've got to get ready for a party!" Sam smiled. "And of course none of us can run without...?" Sam asked her son.

"Breakfast!" Daniel smiled.

"That's right, so let's go downstairs."

* * *

**10am**

The party was from 12-4pm but of course, Daniel's closest friend, Noah, was arriving early with his Dad Fletch who was one of the several parents who were staying during the party. Sam had already contacted all of the parents of Daniel's play group friends and so she knew that some mums and dads were staying because their child would get upset without their parents, and others were just staying to lend a helping hand because there was no way that even if Sam wasn't pregnant, that she and Tom could be responsible for 33 children, all of which except Noah were 3 years old because Daniel was the first to turn 4.

"Noah! Come look, come look!" Daniel said happily and both boys ran through out to the garden where a man was inflating the massive disney themed bouncy castle with Donald Duck on one pillar and Mickey Mouse on the other - everyone was coming dressed up as any Disney character they wanted but Daniel and Noah weren't getting dressed up until later.

"You are getting bigger every time I see you." Fletch smiled as he looked at Sam's bump.

"Mm, and you're getting ruder every time I see you." Sam quipped before the pair walked into the garden where Tom was making sure that the boys didn't get on the bouncy castle because it still wasn't fully inflated yet.

"You've been lucky the weather." Fletch stated as he looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Mm. Right c'mon, you've got to help Tom with the decorations." Sam ordered.

"Why me?" Fletch laughed.

"Because one: you volunteered to help and two: if I blow up balloons then I'm going to pass out." Sam stated bluntly.

* * *

**Midday**

People were arriving for Daniel's party and going straight out into the garden where disney songs were playing and children were either running around playing, or jumping on the bouncy castle. And because Sam had been in charge of who was coming and contacting the parents, she was greeting the guests whilst Tom, Fletch and another parent who was staying, were keeping an eye on the 10 kids who had already arrived. Once again, the door knocked so Sam opened it to find a little girl dressed up as Snow White in a pretty little dress and headband along with red shoes.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Sam praised as she girl stood besides her mother.

"Hiya, I'm Louise, and this is Sophie." The woman smiled as she shook Sam's hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sam. Sophie, if you go straight through that door there and go outside, then there's a bouncy castle and all your friends out there." Sam explained as she pointed through the living room.

"This is for Daniel." Sophie stated as she held out a neatly wrapped present with a card attached to the top.

"Aw, thank you very much. I'll make sure he gets it later." Sam smiled as the little girl walked through the house and out into the garden.

"I can't imagine throwing a party and being pregnant at the same time. It'd exhaust me." Louise admitted as she followed Sam through to the garden, she was also one of the parents who was staying because she knew that her child would get upset without her, after Sam put the present on the accumulating pile in the living room.

"Well, I've got my husband Tom who's been doing most of it, plus Daniel's been really well behaved recently and I just wanted to make a fuss over him before the baby comes so he doesn't feel left out." Sam explained.

"How far gone are you? If you don't mind me asking."

"No it's fine, I'm 27 weeks."

"Oh, have you got dogs here?" Louise asked worriedly as she noticed a squeaky toy on the floor.

"Yeah but don't worry, they've gone to my friend's house for the day because I didn't think it'd be a good idea to have thirty odd kids in the house with three hyperactive border collies." Sam replied.

"Sorry, it's just Sophie gets scared around dogs."

"Don't worry, I know some children can be. Plus some are allergic."

"Mummy, can we get the bubbles out yet?" Daniel asked excitedly as he came up to Sam in his Woody costume from Toy Story.

"Not yet, not everyone's here yet." Sam smiled.

* * *

Sam was sitting down on a garden chair after Tom being insistent that she take a break from running around and sorting everything out when she noticed a girl who was quite a tomboy dressed as a pirate run around the back of the bouncy castle and Sam was sure that she had looked distressed. So, Sam got up and waddled around the back where she saw the little girl sitting on the grass with her head in her hands, crying. But she couldn't be heard because of the screaming and the music being played on the other side of the inflatable.

"Hey." Sam said softly as she knelt down to get her attention. "It's Amy, isn't it?" Sam asked as she remembered greeting her mother at the door and Sam had found out that she had only _just_ turned 3 years old. The girl nodded in reply. "I'm Sam, Daniel's mummy. What's the matter sweetheart?" Sam asked as she put her hand on Amy's arm.

"I sorry." She apologised.

"Sorry for what? It's alright, you can tell me... I won't get mad." Sam said reassuringly.

"I had an accident." She mumbled as she looked up and Sam saw the tears pouring down the girl's face. She also then noticed that Amy's black and white striped tights and black purposely torn skirt were damp.

"Don't get upset about that Amy. Come on, I'll take you inside and give you some dry clothes yeah?" Sam suggested but the girl began sobbing again. "I've got you, don't worry." Sam whispered as she leant forward and lifted Amy up so that she was balanced on her hip, despite the fact that it would make Sam's shirt wet. Sam was an expert at picking toddlers up with her bump because she'd had practice with Daniel and so once Amy put her arms around Sam's neck, Sam began to walked her into the house.

"Sam?" Tom questioned quietly.

"Its alright, you just keep things calm down here." Sam replied before she proceeded to carry Amy upstairs and into the family bathroom. She quickly grabbed a few things from Daniel's bedroom before she went back and closed the bathroom door incase someone came upstairs. "Right, look. I've got a pack of girl's underwear here sized 2-3 years because I knew someone would have an accident, I just didn't know who. Amy trust me darling, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Sam said as she took out a pair of the underwear from the brand new pack. "Right, Daniel used to like dressing up as a pirate but he never does anymore so if you take your skirt, tights and underwear off for me, you can wear these for the rest of the party so that you'll be all dry again." Sam stated as she showed the girl the pair of black pirate trousers.

"But I naughty."

"No, naughty, is doing something on purpose, that you shouldn't. Accidents aren't done on purpose therefore you weren't naughty. Besides, you seem like a very nice young girl to me." Sam stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so let's get you changed and then we can go and join the party again." Sam smiled.

* * *

**3:55pm**

It was getting near time for everyone to go home and Sam was near exhausted, but she wasn't letting it show as she continued to make sure that everyone was happy and if they weren't, Sam would find a way to make them cheer up. They had played party games, danced to music, played with a bubble machine and had snacks and drinks. As well as sung happy birthday to Daniel and lit the Disney cake.

"Right, I've cut a slice of cake for everyone and put them in the party bags so everything is ready." Tom stated as he came out into the garden and stood besides Sam.

"Okay." Sam nodded and they both stood there for a few minutes watching the children play in the garden when Tom felt Sam's hand touch his. He looked down and Sam lifted Tom's hand up and placed it on her bump through the blue floral shirt that she had changed into after the incident, with comfortable light blue jeggings. He felt their baby kick against his skin and he smiled as Sam kept her hand on top of his.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" Tom asked.

"No but you can make up for it later." Sam winked.

"Are you not exhausted?"

"Yeah but I'm just gonna have an hour's nap once everyone's gone." Sam stated. "Daniel will be needing a nap too."

"Well then I look forward to it." Tom smiled as he let his hand slip off of her bump because their unborn daughter had stopped kicking.

"That'll be the parents arriving." Sam said after there was a knock at the door.

"Right, if you greet parents, I'll grab the party bag, collect the kid and send 'em out the door." Tom smirked as he followed Sam to the front door.

* * *

**Monday 9th September 2019**

It was Daniel's actual birthday and so Sam and Tom had reluctantly agreed to wake up earlier than usual so that Daniel could open his presents and cards from his friends that he hadn't been allowed to open the day before because it wasn't his birthday. So at 6am, Daniel raced down the stairs in his pyjamas to find that the mound of presents from his friends in the living room had grown even bigger covering he entire three seater sofa and part of the floor too.

"Oh my god!" Daniel squealed at the number of presents before he ran over and opened a big box wrapped up that just happened to be from his parents.

"I'll be here if you want me." Sam said sleepily as she plonked herself down in the armchair in her dressing gown. Tom chuckled before he sat down on the floor in front of the armchair and watched his son rip the wrapping paper off of the box to reveal a large tub of building blocks.

* * *

Zoe walked into the staffroom to find Sam lying on the sofa with her hair down to one side and she was using her stethoscope on her bump to listen to her baby's heartbeat.

"I hope you're on a break." Zoe said sternly but jokily as she got a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"I am." Sam said softly without taking her eyes off of her bump.

"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you actually about the email you sent me." Zoe admitted as she leant against the counter. "Are you sure you want to take six months off for maternity leave? Because six months is a long time Sam."

"I'm sure." Sam nodded as she reluctantly pulled the stethoscope out of her ears and then sat up. "Daniel's starting school next September so I want to spend the time with him while I've got it. Plus I think I came back too soon after Daniel's birth. He was just three months old and despite the fact that I was relieved that I didn't have to change nappies all day, I felt bad for leaving him with strangers when he barely even knew who me and Tom were. I want to spend more time with my daughter when she arrives and I want Daniel to spend time with her too, that's not going to happen if they're both in separate play groups and stuck in the crèche all day." Sam stated. "And when I do return to work, I want regular breaks to breastfeed. So I'll be needing somewhere private." Sam added.

"I'll sort something out." Zoe nodded. It was the law that she had to provide somewhere for breastfeeding mothers but none of the other doctors in the department had been pregnant since she had been in charge and most of the nurses were too afraid of losing their jobs to start asking for extras. "Did I hear rightly that when you went home sick the other day, you had salmonella?" Zoe asked curiously.

"Yeah. Me, Tom and Daniel went to a restaurant for my birthday and the next day I fell ill. Fletch found some news that 7 people had fallen ill too and two were admitted to hospital and diagnosed with salmonella and dehydration. But Tom looked after me and made sure I didn't get dehydrated." Sam explained.

"In sorry to hear that-" Zoe was interrupted as her pager began beeping and Tom opened the door. "Sorry, I've got to go." Zoe quickly walked out whilst Tom came in and sat next to Sam.

"Looks like I've got the thumbs up for six months off." Sam smiled.

"It doesn't matter if Zoe's happy about it or not, legally you're allowed it anyway." Tom stated.

"Whatever... Listen, I know this is the hormones talking but to be honest, I don't really care... Can we go to the oncall room?" Sam asked bluntly and Tom knew what she meant straight away.

"Dr Hodson's stuff is in there, he's oncall and staying overnight." Tom stated and Sam huffed. "Come on, I know somewhere else." Tom smiled as he stood up and held his hand out. Without an ounce of hesitation, Sam took his hand and followed him down the stairs to the basement where he took her into a linen room.

"Won't someone come in here?" Sam asked worriedly.

"No, this linen is used to restock the linen cupboards on the wards, and they only restock them once a day in the mornings." Tom explained as he grabbed a pile of towels and laid them on the floor. "Wait is your back going to be alri-" Tom was interrupted as Sam planted her lips on top of his to stop him from talking. He responded to her kiss and then slowly lowered them both to the floor before they made love to each other, regardless of where they were.

* * *

**Coming up: After 41 weeks of pregnancy, Sam finally goes into labour. But what will they call their daughter? And how will Daniel greet his new sibling?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :) **


	48. Chapter 48

******I accidentally missed out a chapter for uploading so please go back and read chapter 47 if you haven't already because I had to swap them around :)**

* * *

**Friday 6th December 2019**

At 41 weeks pregnant, Sam was getting rather fed up being, well, pregnant. She had only just turned 41 weeks pregnant, but just like last time, she knew the importance of going into labour within the next six days because if she turned 42 weeks, it would no longer be safe for her to give birth at home, unassisted with just Tom to deliver the baby and she barely even touched paracetamol during pregnancy, let alone the drugs that they would use for an induction.

There was no point in Daniel being in the crèche, so when Sam had been forced on maternity leave last Friday, he had been withdrawn from the crèche, but Sam had booked him a three month placement between June, July and August of the next year because she would be returning to work in June, and Daniel would be starting school that September. Therefore, Daniel was going to be spending a lot of time at home with Sam for the next six months.

'_I think my nesting instinct is kicking in :)_' Sam sent in a text to her husband along with a picture of Daniel's bedroom which was usually a pigsty, looking immaculate. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, and not because she had to, it was because she had felt impelled to do so, so maybe there was such a thing as nesting in humans after all.

'_Blimey! I didn't know that Daniel had a carpet! But don't push yourself too hard x_' Tom replied within a minute of her pressing the send button because with his wife overdue, Tom was watching his phone like a hawk for any news after Sam had had her show the day before. Sam sighed as she leant back in the sofa whilst she watched her four year old son pick up a box of building blocks - another thing she would have to clean up.

"Er Daniel, how about we go to the park?" Sam suggested to avoid the mess in the first place and that way she would keep things moving, get some exercise and the dogs would have a run about too. "You can play in the play area and-"

"Can I take my football?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"Yeah sure. Go and get your trainers and we can go." Sam smiled and Daniel zoomed up the stairs whilst Sam picked up the three dog loads.

* * *

Daniel kicked his ball as far as he could on the grass, ran after it and then did the same over and over again whilst Sam slowly walked around the path, occasionally throwing a tennis ball for Shadow, Alex and Panda to chase after when they were mainly chasing after each other. Her bump was massive, and she was even bigger than when she was overdue with Daniel, so few clothes fitted her anymore. Thankfully, she spent most of her time at home and she just lounged about in large onesies that had a big belly so they fitted her perfectly.

"When are you gonna come ou- ah." Sam gasped quietly in pain as she clutched her bump. It took a few moments until she let out a sigh of relief and she couldn't help but laugh slightly that their daughter was finally coming. "Thank you for answering my question." Sam smiled as she rubbed her bump. But she decided that labour wasn't imminent, so she was going to complete one last lap of the park to keep moving and hopefully, speed her labour up and luckily, Daniel had been far away enough that he hadn't heard her, and she didn't want him worrying.

* * *

**3pm**

"_What's happening_?" Tom demanded as he received a phone call from his heavily pregnant wife.

"Hi Sam. How are you? I'm fine thanks Tom, how are you?" Sam said sarcastically.

"_Sorry. Are you alright_?" Tom asked.

"Yep. Listen, it's by no means an emergency and don't worry because you've got plenty of time, but I've have a couple of contractions that're about ten minutes apart."

"_Seriously_?"

"No, this is a prank call to see how you'd react." Sam said sarcastically. "Of course I'm serious! Are you going to be able to leave work a bit earlier?" Sam asked.

"_Yeah, course I am. I'm gonna leave now alright, just stay calm and_-"

"Tom. You're the one that's panicking, not me." Sam stated bluntly.

"_Right okay. I'll see you soon then_."

"Yep, bye."

Sam put her phone down before she walked into the living room where Daniel was making a big stack of building blocks in various colours.

"Daniel, you know we said the baby could be coming any day now?" Sam asked and Daniel dropped the block from his hand listened attentively to his mother. "I'm in labour."

"But you're not screaming." Daniel stated confusedly.

"I'll only be in pain when I have a contraction, and I've started having them every ten minutes or so." Sam explained. "The pain isn't too bad just yet because I'm in early labour but it'll get worse later on." Sam stated. "So, the chances are, you'll go round to Fletch's house soon, sleepover with Noah, and you'll probably come home in the morning and be able to meet your baby sister." Sam stated.

* * *

**3:30pm**

"Right tell me everything that's happened from start to finish and don't miss out anything." Tom ordered as he walked straight in the front door and slammed it behind him.

"Well, you know I had my show yesterday, I haven't had anything since but I've had 7 contractions and the last two have been 9 minutes apart. And it's been 4 minutes since my last one. Tom please will you just calm down. You're stressing me out, alright, you know everything that I know and we've still got hours." Sam pleaded.

"Alright, sorry. I was just worried I was going to miss it." Tom admitted before he kissed Sam on the cheek. "How're you feeling? Any nausea?"

"Nope."

"And have you had any diarrhoea or loose bowel movements? Because that's what you had last time."

"No, nothing like that. I haven't been since yesterday- oh no."

"What?" Tom asked worriedly.

"That means I'm probably gonna crap myself when I'm pushing." Sam moaned.

"It doesn't matter. If you do, I'll just clean whatever mess there is up and we'll carry on." Tom said reassuringly. "Where's Daniel?"

"Um, he's drawing in the living room." Sam replied and Tom poked his head around the door to check that Daniel was okay, and his son was standing in front of a small plastic easel that he had gotten for his birthday and he was drawing with crayons on the bit of paper.

"Okay. I spoke to Fletch and if we want to drop Daniel off earlier, than it's okay because Natalie is at home now. But otherwise, Fletch is going to come here after his shift and then Daniel will have dinner over there and sleep in Noah's room." Tom explained.

"Are you okay to look after Daniel for a while? I want to see if I can get some sleep and save my energy for later." Sam admitted.

"Um, yeah that's fine. But could you possibly sleep down here on the sofa so that I can keep an eye on you?" Tom requested.

"Fine by me. It means I don't have to heave myself up the stairs." Sam retorted as she walked into the living room, plonked herself down on the three seater sofa, faced the back of it and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Saturday 7th December 2019, 00:15am**

"I can't do this." Sam panted. With contractions every 3 minutes and getting stronger, she knew she only had a little while to go until she could begin pushing, but she couldn't get any sleep and she was absolutely exhausted. Daniel was probably fast asleep in Fletch's house whilst Tom tried to comfort his wife as she laid in the middle of their double bed with large disposable pads underneath her to protect the bed.

"Of course you can. You've done it before, you can do it again."

"Yeah but Daniel was born at 4 in the afternoon. This is way past my bedtime!" Sam joked and Tom couldn't help but laugh.

"Right, is there anything you want to eat or drink that's sugary? It'll give you some energy. In fact, I think there's a can of red bull in the fridge. Do you want that? A bit of caffeine isn't gonna hurt her now." Tom suggested.

"Yes please." Sam nodded and Tom quickly ran upstairs before he returned with an opened can and took a sip as he handed it to her. "Oi!" Sam protested.

"What? I need a bit of energy too." Tom laughed as Sam took a few gulps before she put the can on the bedside table.

"Right, I'm going to try and empty my bowels." Sam announced bluntly as she slowly sat up.

"There's really no need if you're still worried about having an accident while you push Sam." Tom stated kindly.

"Trust me Thomas, there is every need." Sam retorted as she took a deep breath before she stood up onto her own two feet.

"Fine, but leave the door open." Tom ordered and it appeared Sam was going to do that anyway as she walked straight into the ensuite bathroom and out of Tom's sight.

"I know I'm gonna have a contraction in another minute or so and when I do, you're not coming in here now matter how much noise I make. Right?" Sam said sternly.

"If that's what you want, then fine." Tom agreed reluctantly as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Is there anything at all that I can do for you? Any food you want, a massage once you're finished in there maybe?" Tom asked.

"No, but thanks." Sam replied as Tom could hear her taking deep breaths in the bathroom. "I think I'm ready to push after the next contraction." Sam admitted.

"Alright." Tom smiled, with happiness evident in his voice. "Out of curiousity, how do you know that you're ready to push?" Tom asked.

"I don't know. Um... It's just kind of got to a point that I know I'm not going to progress any further unless I start to intervene rather than let nature take it's course which is what I've been doing up until now." Sam explained slowly. "Ah..." Sam gasped and Tom jumped to his feet before he forced himself to stop because he knew his presence wouldn't be welcome whilst Sam was still in the bathroom. "Remind me to never have sex with you again." Sam groaned.

"Excuse me, but if I remember rightly, you asked me to have sex with you when you was in early labour with Daniel." Tom argued playfully as he leant against the wall, waiting for his wife to do what she wanted to do in the bathroom. "Just take nice quick breaths, you're doing really well." Tom said encouragingly as he heard Sam make strange noises as she breathed out because of the pain she was in as the contraction took over her body. "Last time, you pushed Daniel out in just over an hour. So I reckon, this time you can have her out in 45 minutes and then the placenta out and everything finished within 90 minutes." Tom stated before he heard Sam let out a big sigh of relief. "Has the contraction finished?" Tom asked.

"Yep." Sam nodded.

"Alright, I'm just gonna take a leak next door quickly okay?"

"Yeah sure." Sam replied and so Tom quickly went to the family bathroom that came off of the landing not far from their bedroom. A few minutes later, he returned to find Sam coming out of the ensuite and she was rubbing her hands over her bump frequently because she knew in a few hours, she wouldn't be able to feel her daughter inside of her anymore.

"Have you had a crap?" Tom asked jokily.

"Yeah I did actually so I think you're safe when I'm pushing." Sam smirked as she stretched her arms out and then took a deep breath. "Right. Let's have a baby." Sam announced as she held her hand out and Tom took it firmly.

"Let's have a baby." He nodded.

* * *

**1:30am**

"Give me your hand." Tom said softly, as now that contractions were just 90 seconds apart and lasting 30 seconds, Sam was resting at every chance she got and the room always went silent between contractions. Sam did as she was told and her husband, who was sitting between her legs, gently placed her hand between her legs where she could feel an almost slimy texture where her daughter's skin was covered with vernix to protect her.

"Her head." Sam smiled as she took deep breaths. She was so, so exhausted but she couldn't even attempt to sleep because she was in so much pain and she had adrenaline rushing through her veins. They had the bedside lamp on because the normal light was far too bright for Sam, but with the curtains pulled and Sam in nothing but a bikini top on, she was as comfortable as she could be for a natural birth without any pain relief - she had decided at the last minute that she didn't want to use gas and air, and she was doing well to prove to herself that she could do it.

"Yeah, she's nearly here." Tom smiled. "But you're crowning now so on the next contraction, don't push and I'll try and ease her out gently."

"I love you."

"What is it with you and crying when you give birth?" Tom laughed as he wiped his hand on the towel to clean it before he grabbed a tissue from the box and handed it to Sam to wipe the single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Oh I don't know, it might have something to do with the immense pain." Sam said sarcastically.

"Well as much as I support your choice to go without pain relief, I won't think any less of you if you want to use gas and air for these last few contractions to get her out." Tom stated.

"No, I can do this. _We_, can do this." Sam stated confidently as she braced herself for the next contraction.

"That's the spirit. Remember not to push, you're doing a fantastic job. Your body is made to do this." Tom said encouragingly as Sam panted through the pain whilst Tom used his clean hands to gently stretch the folds of Sam's skin to accommodate for the baby that was on it's way and certainly wasn't going to turn back now.

"Ow!" Sam shrieked as she full head finally came out and Tom used his hand to support his daughters's head whilst he had to wait for the shoulders to be delivered.

"Well done. Have a drink and catch your breath back." Tom said as he rubbed Sam's lower leg for comfort with his spare hand. "If you sit up, you can see her head." Tom stated and Sam shook her head as she bit her bottom lip because she was in so much pain that she could barely speak let alone sit up and look over her bump. "Alright, alright. Stay calm, and I reckon if you put every last bit of energy that you've got left, then you can get her out in the next contraction. But definitely in the next two."

* * *

"Hello beautiful!" Tom smiled as he lifted his newborn daughter who was dripping with amniotic fluid onto Sam's chest and he laid a clean, fluffy towel over both the infant, and over Sam's chest. He gently rubbed the towel on her back until she let out a short cough followed by an abrupt scream. "She's got your lungs." Tom retorted as he made sure that the umbilical cord wasn't twisted around her foot.

"She's finally here." Sam whispered before two more tears ran down Sam's cheeks out of both relief and joy.

"She is indeed. And it's down to all of your hard work." Tom said proudly before their daughter let out another small cry and then as she reached her hand out in front of her, Sam let the tiny hand wrap all four fingers and thumb wrap around Sam's index finger. At the immediate contact with her mother, the newborn settled and the room was comfortably quiet as Sam stared into the crinkled, bright blue eyes of her daughter. "Okay, here's the messiest part - delivery of the placenta - and I've got the vitamin K injection if you want it." Tom offered but Sam shook her head. "Okay, do you want to try feeding her?" Tom suggested. "Here, I'll give you a hand." Tom moved across the bed until he was sitting upright besides Sam who was propped up by pillows. He wrapped the towel around his daughter properly before he laid her horizontally with chest to chest contact between the two females. "Hey baby. Are you gonna be a fussy one or are you going to take your first feed so that mummy can get some rest? Because you have come at a very early time." Tom said softly as Sam attempted to latch her daughter on. "You're just as beautiful as your mother." Tom smiled.

"Come on, please?" Sam begged exhaustedly and after a few more tries, their little girl latched on and slowly began suckling. Both parents smiled as they listened to the gentle swallowing sounds. "I haven't heard that sound for years." Sam whispered.

"I am so, so proud of you." Tom smiled as he pecked Sam on the forehead. "Right, shall we deliver the placenta and get this over with?" Tom suggested and Sam gave a small nod in reply so Tom carefully moved across the bed and positioned himself between Sam's legs again. "The cord has stopped pulsating so I'm gonna clamp it. Okay?" Tom said softly as he grabbed two pairs of clamps and leant over Sam's legs so that he could clamp it in two places near to his daughter's soon-to-be belly button. He placed a surgical peg in between the clamps, them cut the cord right next to it, leaving their little girl with a stump on her belly. "She must be quite heavy, she looks quite big." Tom stated concernedly.

"She's perfect." Sam whispered in defence.

"Of course she is. And I wouldn't expect anything less than perfect from you." Tom smiled.

* * *

Fletch opened his eyes at 7am, he always was an early riser, and saw his phone's blue light give a small flash every few seconds so he unlocked it and opened a message from Tom that had been sent hours ago.

'_Mum and Ella Rose Kent are doing great :) She was born at 2:07am, weighing 8lbs 2oz and Daniel can come home when he's ready_.'

Fletch smiled as he saw the picture of the newborn wearing a pink sleepsuit with matching scratch mittens to protect her delicate skin and socks and a hat to keep her warm. He smiled at the thought of Sam who had probably refused to be in the picture, but he felt sympathetic that Sam had been labouring into the early hours of the morning. Anyhow, he got out of bed leaving his wife to sleep in because it was a Saturday, and he went straight to Noah's room where Daniel had just been getting out of his sleeping bag.

"You alright mate?" Fletch asked.

"Can I go to the toilet please?" Daniel asked as he stood in his pyjamas.

"Yeah, of course you can." Fletch smiled as he followed the boy to the bathroom and waited in the doorway for him because he knew Daniel didn't like going by himself. "Do you want to know what your baby sister is called?"

"Yeah."

"Ella Rose Kent." Fletch said slowly. "And she was born very early this morning so I would imagine that your mum is very very tired."

"But Mummy's still going to live? Isn't she?"

"Yeah, of course she is." Fletch replied confusedly. "What makes you asked such a thing?"

"Jamie, who's in my play group said that his Mum died giving birth to him and that he only had his dad to look after him." Daniel explained as he flushed the toilet before he went over to the sink and got up onto the step to wash his hands.

"Well Jamie sounds like a very unlucky boy. But your mum is just fine. In fact, I reckon if we go downstairs, have breakfast, have a wash and get dressed and then pack your things away then it'll be time for you to go home and meet your sister. Would you like that?" Fletch asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Won't I just be getting in the way?"

"No, of course you won't. Look, your mum and dad are probably going to be very busy for the next few days looking after Ella, but as long as you behave like you always do, then you're going to be wanted there. Besides, you need to bond with your sister because I'll tell you a secret, everyone thinks that it's normal to fight and argue between brothers and sisters, but only the coolest kids are best friends with their siblings. You and Ella could be best friends just like you and Noah." Fletch said as he knew that the last thing Sam and Tom needed was Daniel taking a dislike to the new arrival.

* * *

"Thanks Fletch." Tom said once again before he closed the door and hung Daniel's coat up on a peg. "Right, did you get a good night's sleep?" Tom asked as he crouched down in front of his son, and the dark circles under Tom's eyes didn't go unnoticed by his son, though he was too young to understand that they were a sign of tiredness.

"Yeah. And we made biscuits and I made some for mummy. And I made a card." Daniel stated as he eagerly got the container and bit of paper out of his overnight bag.

"Really? Well how about you come and help me make a cup of tea, and we can go and give them to mummy. And you can meet your new sister." Tom suggested and so the two boys headed for the kitchen. Five minutes later, Tom headed upstairs first with a mug of sweet tea for Sam and a plate with biscuits on whilst Daniel walked slowly behind him with the card in his hands. Thankfully, Sam had managed to keep the newborn quiet for Daniel's first encounter and as Daniel entered the bedroom behind Tom, he caught a glimpse of his mother sitting upright in the bed with a hot water bottle on her stomach and besides her, was the brand new, pink bedside sleeper right against the mattress where a baby laid.

"Hello Daniel." Sam smiled. "Don't be scared. Here, come and give me a hug." Sam said encouragingly so Daniel climbed up on Tom's side of the bed, the opposite side of the baby, and then wrapped his arms around Sam's neck. After a moment or two, he pulled back and held out the card.

"I made a card for you and some almond biscuits."

"They are just what I need Daniel, something nice and tasty. I'll have one of those in a minute." Sam smiled as she opened the homemade card and read through Daniel's poor handwriting which had clearly been helped by Fletch because she could see the dots that he had drawn for him to join, but it still meant the world to Sam. Tom handed Sam the cup of tea which she took a sip of before she put the hot water bottle aside. "Do you want to hold her?" Sam asked but Daniel appeared apprehensive. "It's okay, you don't have to hold her properly, I'll hold her. You can just say hello." Sam smiled as she gently lifted Ella out of her bedside sleeper and the infant didn't make a sound as she was fast asleep, cradled against her mother's chest. Sam and Tom both watched as Daniel looked at his new sister with curiosity, before he finally spoke up.

"Hello Ella. I'm your big brother Daniel."

"That's it. See, she's nothing to be scared of." Sam said reassuringly.

"When will she speak?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, not for a long time yet. I mean, you were a pretty fast learner when it came to talking but most babies don't say their first word until they're a year old." Sam replied.

"What was my first word?" Daniel asked.

"No." Sam and Tom both said humorously at the same time.

"Listen, Ella's got a strong pair of lungs on her when she wants something so were were thinking maybe for the first few months that it would be best to keep your bedroom door shut at night so that she doesn't wake you up." Sam said.

"No! No I don't want to be shut in; I don't like the door being closed." Daniel protested quickly which caused the baby to stir.

"Sshh... It's okay." Sam shushed but it was no use as Ella let out a sorrowful cry.

"Come on, let's give those two some space." Tom said as he lifted Daniel off of the bed and balanced him on his hip.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it. She hates me now, doesn't she?" Daniel sobbed as Tom closed the bedroom door and placed his son on the landing.

"Of course she doesn't, and don't you start crying too or we'll get nowhere." Tom joked halfheartedly as he wiped two tears off of Daniel's cheeks using his thumbs. "Listen to me." Tom said sternly to get his attention. "Mummy knows you didn't mean it, and don't worry because I did the same thing earlier; I started singing in the shower and it woke Sa- mummy and Ella up." Tom lied. He saw no harm in telling a little white lie to soothe his son's worries. "See? It's nice and quiet again now." Tom stated and he reached up and opened the door to reveal Sam breastfeeding the infant. "Right, this is a sight you'd ought to get used to." Tom stated as he stood up and balanced Daniel on his hip again. "You see Ella's cheeks moving in and out and hear her swallowing?" Tom asked and Daniel nodded. "Well that's because she's swallowing milk, that mummy's breasts are making; she's breastfeeding. And it's alright to look, you won't get in trouble for it because we know you're just curious, but it's best not to stare okay?"

"Okay." Daniel nodded.

* * *

**9pm**

Daniel was asleep in his bed and after Sam had had an afternoon nap, she went for a refreshing shower to clean herself up after the birth, leaving Tom in charge of Ella. And when she returned, she found Tom leaning over the bedside sleeper, reading a book to the sleepy child.

"Have a nice shower?" Tom asked as he put the book aside because Ella was pretty much asleep.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better." Sam nodded as she kept the towel wrapped around her whilst she grabbed a maternity pad, underwear and a long checkered night top. "Y'know what? I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life." Sam admitted.

"Not even on our wedding day?" Tom questioned.

"Nope. I was too nervous to enjoy that until the moment we kissed." Sam stated as she begun to get dressed and Tom kept his eyes off of her to respect her privacy. "Although I don't think I've ever been this tired in my entire life either." Sam added.

"Well, that's what partying all night and going to bed at 4am does to you." Tom joked and Sam rolled her eyes as she did up the last of the buttons on her shirt.

"Listen, I've expressed some milk into a bottle in the fridge downstairs. I don't supposed you'd-"

"Like to give Ella her next feed so that you can get some sleep? Of course I would, it'll be the first time I feed my daughter." Tom said proudly. "But if there's only one bottle, you'll still need to give her her midnight feed." Tom warned.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks. I'm gonna hit the sack now, okay?"

"Yeah sure. Get some rest and don't worry about Ella, I'll be in charge of her." Tom said as he tucked Sam into bed where she was sleeping on top of a black towel in case of leaks caused by her heavy bleeding.

"Why does that not fill me with joy?" Sam remarked.

"Goodnight." Tom said sternly and Sam smiled before she closed her eyes and set about getting some well earned rest after a very, very exhausting 24 hours.

* * *

**Coming up: A bit of fluff for the Kent Family in their first few weeks of the new arrival, Ella Rose Kent, and Tom takes Daniel to work to give Sam a much needed break.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	49. Chapter 49

**Just in case anyone missed it, yesterday there was a bit of a mix up with my chapter order so I uploaded 2 chapters in one day (47 & 48)! I've now double checked and this is the write chapter to put up today! (I've got a couple written in advance.)**

* * *

**Saturday 14th December 2019, 9:30am**

"Well if she really doesn't like it this much, why don't you get in the big bath with her?" Sam suggested as they attempted to give Ella her first wash in the baby bath down, since her stump had fallen off, in the living room but she wasn't having it. Meanwhile, Daniel was finding the situation quite funny. Both parents were rather wet as Ella had been fidgeting and screaming so Sam ended up just holding the naked infant against her chest.

"Me?" Tom queried.

"Yes, you." Sam replied bluntly.

"Wouldn't she prefer you in the bath because she's used to being on your chest?" Tom asked.

"Yeah but I don't think she'd prefer lying in a bath of red water." Sam retorted and Tom then realised what she meant.

"Why would the water be red?" Daniel asked innocently.

"Because..." Tom began before he looked at Sam for support.

"Nevermind, I'll just go and get the water running. You go and put a pair of swimming trunks on." Sam ordered her husband as she carefully stood up with Ella against her chest, grabbed a towel to keep her warm and then made her way upstairs.

* * *

"Told you it would work." Sam said smugly as she put her arm around Daniel's shoulder whilst they sat on the bathroom mat besides Tom, who was in the bath of clear water wearing swimming shorts and holding his baby on his chest.

"I didn't say it wouldn't." Tom replied as he gently rubbed the back of the little girl who was curled up on his chest in the fetal position - she was still a little 'screwed up' from the birth, meaning that she couldn't fully stretch her arms and legs out yet, so the most comforting position to be in, was one that she had adopted for the first 9 months of her life.

"Right, how about while daddy and Ella have a bath, you come downstairs with me and help me write a shopping list?" Sam suggested to her son. "And then once these two are dressed, we can all go christmas shopping yeah? Because we need to get the stuff for our first christmas dinner, don't we?"

"Yeah!" Daniel nodded excitedly - Sam and Tom hadn't had a proper christmas dinner for years because they had seen no point in going to all the effort when their son wouldn't eat it or enjoy the significance of it. However, now Daniel was looking forward to it and he would eat almost anything that Sam and Tom put in front of him so they were going to have a full christmas dinner that year.

"Come on then." Sam smiled as she took Daniel's hand and they both headed downstairs.

* * *

Sam had spent a little extra time rewriting the long shopping list in neat hand writing so that it was in order of how the shop was laid out so the fruit and vegetables were first, then the toiletries etc because she knew how Daniel liked to help with the shopping and this was certainly the biggest shopping trip of the year. Tom was pushing the trolley whilst Daniel zoomed around with the shopping list and Sam had Ella in a sling tightly against her chest and she was fast asleep as they entered the shop.

"Do you need any more pads?" Tom asked whilst Daniel was out of ear shot. "I can distract Daniel for a few minutes if you want to go and get some." He offered as they both knew how inquisitive he had been once when Sam had picked up a box of tampons months ago and they had never fully answered his questions about what they were and why he couldn't have one - they just distracted him with a new toy.

"No, I've got plenty. But thanks." Sam smiled. It was just ten days until Christmas Eve so the shop was packed full of people and every thing was related to christmas whether it was the party food, the decorations and even the small clothing range.

"Daniel, slow down and stay near us. It's busy, we don't want to lose you in here, do we." Tom warned.

"But I was just getting these." Daniel stated as he lifted up the bag of carrots which seemed quite heavy for him.

"I know but just wait for us next time." Tom said as he put the carrots into the trolley. "Why don't you go and get a bunch of bananas, and get the sticker for them?" Tom suggested and Daniel grabbed the nearest bunch without checking them like Sam would normally do, and then he ran to the set of scales where he just had to tap the screen a few times to get a sticker with the price on them.

"We definitely aren't going for a walk in the park this year on Christmas Day." Sam said sternly as she remembered that one year, when she was pregnant with Daniel, Shadow protected her from that beastly dog and the following year, Tom had saved a woman being attacked and ended up with a broken nose. "Can we just agree that we're not going outside the house on Christmas Day other than the garden?"

"Yeah sure." Tom nodded. "You look adorable like that, both of you do." Tom smiled as he peeked over the sling to see his daughter safely tucked away with her eyes closed and her hands screwed up into little balls in her scratch mitts.

"Mm. I'm just waiting for her to make a funny smell or start screaming and make everyone in the store look at us." Sam admitted.

"Well, just for the record, if that does happen, I'll be taking Daniel and running away from you so I don't get any disapproving looks." Tom smirked.

* * *

**Monday 23rd December 2019, 9am**

It was the first day that Tom was returning to work and thankfully, Zoe tended to give people with children priority for time off at christmas so Tom only had to work one day before he would have three days off and then return on Friday 27th December. However, despite it being his first day back after two weeks of paternity leave he knew it wouldn't be relaxed because one: he worked in and emergency department. And two: he had brought his four year old son, Daniel with him to give Sam a break so that she only had to look after Ella at home.

"Tom." Zoe said sternly and Tom slowly turned around from his locker to find Zoe standing with her hands on her hips as she looked down at Daniel who was sitting on the sofa whilst his dad had gotten changed into his scrubs.

"Ah Zoe, I think Daniel's got something to say to you." Tom hinted as he looked over at his son and Daniel jumped up and put his hands behind his back.

"Dr Hanna, _please_ can I stay here today? I promise I'll be on my best behaviour." Daniel said politely.

"And..." Tom prompted.

"Oh and I won't get in the way." Daniel added.

"Tom, not that I'm doubting your parenting skills but do you really think this is a good idea? What if he sees something he shouldn't?" Zoe asked.

"He won't. Besides, when I had appendicitis and when Daniel was in paeds for his ASD operation, Daniel saw several things that you wouldn't have thought he would like but he seriously isn't bothered by blood." Tom stared. "Please? Come on, he'll cheer the patients up. And I've already had loads of the nurses offering to help look after him if I'm caught in an emergency."

"Fine but I don't want your patient numbers to be affected by this." Zoe warned.

"They won't." Tom stated and so Zoe left the room. "Right, you get to wear this for the day." Tom stated as he took off his badge that read '_Dr Kent - Emergency Paediatric Specialist_' and put it on Daniel's shirt. "And you have to wear this." Tom added as he put a Santa hat on Daniel's head. "Let's go and treat some patients." Tom announced as he took Daniel's hand and walked out to reception, then through to cubicles where there was a stack of files for people waiting to be seen to.

* * *

"So what do you actually do?" Daniel asked as he sat on a spinny chair whilst Tom picked up a file and read through the details.

"You see this pile here? Well as a doctor, I take one and treat the patient down here if I can. If not, we move the patient up to a ward so for example a poorly child would, go up to the children's ward. We just have to make our way through this pile. And if there's an emergency, we deal with that first and then go back to dealing with the files." Tom explained.

"So once this pile is gone, you can go home?" Daniel asked innocently and then Louise came over and dumped several more files on top of the file.

"Not quite. There's always a pile there because it keeps on growing, so we just have to work as fast as we can, and then we're going to go home at 5pm this evening." Tom stated as he took Daniel's hand and they walked over to the first cubicle but Tom paused outside of the curtain. "Listen, I know you're probably going to have a lot of questions, but can you just write them down in here and then I can answer them later yeah?" Tom asked as he handed his son a notepad and pencil.

"Okay." Daniel nodded as they entered the cubicle.

"Hello Mr Shaw, I'm Tom, I'll be your doctor for today. I understand you collapsed?" Tom questioned as he was determined to get through as many patients as he could so that Zoe wouldn't complain about Daniel affecting his work and so his son could come to work with him again some time.

"Yeah I just, suddenly felt hot and I went outside for some air. The next thing I knew I woke up on the pavement so I came in."

"Okay, I'm just going to take a listen to your chest." Tom stated as he kept an eye on Daniel who was already writing in his notepad whilst he used his stethoscope. "Okay. Mr Shaw you've got what's called murmur, which could be something and nothing. But to be on the safe side, I'm going to send you up to Darwin which is our cardiology ward where a doctor who specialises in heart problems will give you a thorough check over."

"I've got a heart problem?" Mr Shaw asked worriedly.

"Not necessarily but trust me, you'll be in the best of hands once you get up on the ward. All you have to do it sit here and I'll come and get some porters to take you up as soon as they can. Okay?"

"Right, thanks doc." He nodded and so Tom followed Daniel out to the nurses station again.

"Ah Max, I need you to take Mr Shaw up to Darwin." Tom stated as he held out the folder.

"Will do." Max nodded as he took the folder and sped off so Tom picked up another file.

"Will he die?" Daniel asked.

"No, course he won't. He's done the right thing by coming in here and getting treatment." Tom replied.

* * *

Tom and Daniel sat on the sofa during their lunch break, eating their packed lunches that Sam had made for them whilst Fletch came in and made a cup of tea.

"So what do you think so far? You want to be a doctor when you're older?" Fletch asked curiously.

"No. I want to be a soldier." Daniel replied eagerly as he took a green plastic army man toy out of his pocket which he had wanted ever since he saw Sarge in Toy Story, he had dozens more at home.

"Really? I thought you wanted to be a nurse like uncle Fletch." Fletch joked, though Tom did have some concern about Daniel's obsession with the army because he changed rapidly from wanting to be a teacher one day to a chef the next but he kept on coming back to wanted to join the army which Tom feared had come from Sam's side.

"No! You made that up!" Daniel laughed.

"Tom, I need you in resus now!" Zoe ordered as she came into the staffroom bond ran out as fast as she arrived so Tom jumped up and followed her, but before Fletch could stop Daniel, Daniel went after his father too.

Tom burst into resus after Zoe to find a toddler fitting on the hospital bed as the nurses kept him steady.

"What's happening?" Tom demanded.

"I-I don't know he just... He wasn't speaking and then he collapsed and he started shaking so I called the ambulance." The mother explained disjointedly. "Please, tell me he's going to be okay." She pleaded.

"They're doing everything they can for your son." Charlie said reassuringly.

"Right, he's gone into VF let's shock him." Tom announced as he grabbed the crash trolley and put the two salmon coloured patches onto the young boy's chest whilst Ethan gave chest compressions after the fitting had stopped and the monitors began bleeping. "Clear." Tom announced. "And, shocking." Daniel watched as the boy's chest rose into the air as his dad put two paddles on it and then fell back down and then Ethan began chest compressions again. "Right, let's try again. Clear." Tom ordered. "Shocking." Suddenly the boy gasped for air and his eyes opened.

"Oh thank god, you saved his life! Thank you so so much." The mother let out a huge sigh of relief and as Tom looked up, he noticed his son standing there.

"Daniel?" Tom questioned worriedly as he went and crouched down in front of him.

"You just saved his life." Daniel whispered.

"Well yeah, it's part of my job." Tom replied softly.

"I want to be a doctor." Daniel announced and Tom let out a sigh of relief that Daniel wasn't frightened by the experienced, but he was instead, inspired.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I wanna be like you and mummy." Daniel nodded.

"I can't thank you enough." The mother said and Tom stood up and received a rather abrupt hug from her.

"I'm just doing my job." Tom smiled.

"Well thank you anyway. I don't know how you do it."

"Right, there's a paeds bed free now." A nurse announced after she had come up off of the phone.

"Okay, let's take him up there. You're son will be looked after now okay, he's gonna get the best possible care." Tom said reassuringly as they wheeled the bed out and the mother quickly followed. "Right, shall we go and finish our lunch now?" Tom chuckled and Daniel grinned as he took his father's hand and followed him back into the staffroom.

* * *

**5:15pm**

Tom opened the front door and Daniel entered first and went straight through to the kitchen where Sam was cooking dinner.

"Hello, how did you get on today?" Sam asked.

"It was really cool! I wanna be a doctor just like you and daddy." Daniel stated eagerly.

"Really? I thought you wanted to be a teacher." Sam replied.

"Keep up mummy, that was yesterday!" Tom said patronisingly and Sam smiled as they both kissed each other briefly after spending so long apart from their significant other. "What've we got for dinner?"

"I some how managed to find the energy to make carrot and coriander soup." Sam stated as she stirred the orange concoction on the stove. "I've just got to use the hand blender to make it smooth, stir in the cream and it'll be ready." Sam added.

"Where's Ella?" Tom asked curiously.

"She is fast asleep upstairs." Sam replied.

"Come on Daniel, shall we go and check on her?" Tom suggested and Sam warned them to keep the noise down as they both headed upstairs.

* * *

**10pm**

With Daniel tucked up in bed, Sam laid on her side in bed with Ella propped by a pillow as she suckled milk from her mother's breast. Tom laid just besides them, gently stroking Sam's hair as they kept the environment quiet and dimly lit to keep Ella sleepy so that she would go to bed after the feed.

"Could you get me a bottle of water please?" Sam asked.

"Have mine." Tom offered as he handed her the cool bottle of water that he had gotten out of the fridge mere minutes ago.

"Thanks." Sam had a satisfying drink before she handed it back to him and he put it on his bedside table.

"How was work?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is it still as chaotic as it was before I left, or is Zoe finally getting it under control?" Sam asked.

"Um... I'd say it's gotten better. But then again, I was working Monday 9-5 shift and that's never too busy." Tom shrugged. "What've my girls gotten up to?" Tom asked quietly.

"Er... We had a bath together, and then she had a nap, and when she woke up around lunchtime, I gave her a massage with some baby oil. She really likes massages." Sam explained. "But I tell you what she absolutely hates; being left alone. If she's awake, you can't leave her alone, even to go the toilet, she just screeches until you come back." Sam smiled. "I had to take her with me to the toilet and balance her on my lap." Sam admitted. "Listen, I'm happy to do her next feed at about midnight roughly but I expressed some more milk and it's in the fridge downstairs so would you mind doing the first two feeds tomorrow morning? Because I could really do with a good night's sleep." Sam asked.

"Yeah sure. I'd love to." Tom smiled. "Come here, shall we let daddy burp you rather than mummy because I seem to be having more luck without getting you to throw your milk back up." Tom smiled as he gently lifted Ella, who had finished feeding, up and held him against his chest. He laid a muslin cloth over his shoulder just in case as he gently rubbed her back whilst Sam did her bra back up and pulled her shirt over her chest. "Please tell me she didn't just spit up." Tom begged as he had hear Ella make an odd gurgling sound. Sam looked on Tom's shoulder to inspect it and found it dry.

"No, you're clean. She probably just burped." Sam stated as she laid back down and brought her knees up a little bit for comfort as she curled up, facing her husband and daughter.

"How is your recovery going?" Tom asked kindly.

"Um... Pretty good. It's still a bit sore, I must admit and going up the stairs is quite painful but I'm getting there." Sam stated.

"And how is the bleeding?"

"Um... It comes and goes. It's mainly light but it gets a bit heavier when I feed her." Sam replied honestly.

"Go on, go to sleep. I'll put her to bed in a little while." Tom said softly as he tucked a bit of hair behind Sam's ear."

"Okay. Thanks." Sam smiled and Tom watched as it took no longer than a couple of minutes before she was asleep. After winding Ella, he put her to bed in her bedside sleeper next to Sam, before he too went to sleep, with just a couple of hours until Ella would awake, demanding her next feed.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam takes Ella to the doctors after a concern about her daughter's health. **

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	50. Chapter 50

**Saturday 4th April 2020**

At four months old, Ella was getting bigger every day and she was playfully batting about at a toy hanging from the top of her pushchair as her parents, her four and a half year old brother and Shadow, Alex and Panda went for a relaxing walk along the river. They had even taken the effort to drive out of Holby by a couple of miles so that they were somewhere quiet and peaceful where fresh air was in abundance. Daniel was riding his bike along the path as Tom pushed the pushchair and Sam occasionally threw a stick for the dogs.

"Shall we have a sit down here and Daniel can feed the ducks?" Tom suggested as he paused by a bench where there were a couple of ducks in the water.

"Yeah, okay." Sam nodded as she sat down on the bench and Tom pushed the pushchair over to her. "Oh my god." Sam gasped.

"What?" Tom asked worriedly as he bent down to see that Ella had bright red blood dripping down her white sleepsuit.

"What's wrong with her?" Daniel asked as he put his bike on the ground.

"It's just a nosebleed by the looks of it, it's okay. Come on, mummy can clear clear her up while you feed the ducks." Tom said to keep Daniel occupied as he took the bag of stale bread out of the bottom of the pushchair and handed it to his son. He made sure he didn't go too near to the edge before he assisted Sam who had already lifted her daughter onto her lap.

"I don't understand. She was asleep, why is this happening?" Sam asked worriedly as she wiped her daughter's face with tissues and then held a screwed up tissue at the base of her nose as the blood oozed out.

"It's alright, nosebleeds are common in children, even at this early age." Tom said reassuringly. "Just sit her forward slightly and I know she isn't going to like it but I'm just going to pinch the bridge of your nose." Tom said softly as he did so on his daughter who squirmed. "Calm down, look breath through your mouth and poke your tongue out." Tom smiled as he poked his tongue out to amuse his daughter and she smiled before she poked her tiny tongue out too whilst Tom kept a hold of her nose. Sam kept on wiping away the dribble of blood trickling out of her child's nose for several minutes until it finally stopped but Ella's white sleepsuit was stained red and that was distressing Sam because she didn't like seeing her child suffer.

"I ran out of bread." Daniel said sadly as he came back over.

"That's alright, I'm sure the ducks are all filled up now. Come on, how about we head home?" Tom suggested.

"I'll carry her." Sam stated as she stood up with her daughter against her chest and a blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm. She wanted to be able to keep an eye on her daughter in case the bleed occurred again.

"Alright, if that's what you want to do." Tom nodded and so the Kent Family slowly headed home.

* * *

**Monday 6th April 2020, 10am**

"Hello?" Tom answered the phone to his wife in the staffroom as he wondered why she was phoning him.

"_Tom, I'm bringing Ella in. Her gums are bleeding again_." Sam stated.

"Sam, I've told you. It's perfectly normal." Tom sighed.

_"I know but, I just need to do this, I want to get her checked out just in case_." Sam pleaded.

"Alright. Do you want me to see if I can get some time off quickly and meet you on paediatrics?" Tom asked.

_"No, I'll tell you everything they tell me. I might come and see you after the appointment, it's at 10:30am_." Sam stated.

"Okay. I'll see you later then."

* * *

Sam pressed the hands free button to disconnect the call whilst she continued on her journey to the hospital with both of her children in their car seats in the back.

"But, if Daddy says she's okay, why do we need to see another doctor?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"You won't understand this until you have children of your own Daniel, but I love you two so much that I worry over even the smallest of things. And there's no harm in getting Ella checked over just to make sure that she's okay." Sam explained.

* * *

"Ella Kent?" A doctor asked and Sam stood up with Ella in her arms and Daniel got up out of the waiting room chairs too. "Hello there, I'm Dr Davis, but you can call me Harry." A man smiled as the trip followed him into a consult room with bright colours and a small box of toys in the corner because it was a children's ward. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well I'm a bit concerned about Ella. She's four months old, and she had a nose bleed last week. Also, I've noticed that, because she's teething, she likes to chew on things, and she was chewing on her white blanket when I saw that there's a bit of blood on it." Sam explained.

"Alright, is there any family history of blood clotting disorders?" Harry asked.

"Not that I know of, no."

"And have you noticed if Ella bruises easily?"

"Well she's wrapped in blankets all day and she's not interested in walking yet so she doesn't bruise at all." Sam replied.

"Well, could I just have a look at her mouth? It's alright, she can stay on your lap." Harry smiled as he wheeled his office chair over and Sam nodded so he gently opened the infant's mouth after pulling a pair of gloves on.

"Sorry, she's dribbling a lot at the moment." Sam smiled as he wiped his gloves on a tissue.

"No worries, it's perfectly natural." Harry smiled as he pulled his gloves off, binned them and then wheeled his chair back to his desk. "I'm happy to say that Ella is a perfectly healthy young baby and you are just a perfectly normal worried mother." Harry said sympathetically. "Nose bleeds, can be scary to both the parent and the child but they're actually quite common. And bleeding gums during teething isn't anything to worry about as long as it's only a little bit and it doesn't cause her too much pain."

"See, Daddy was right." Daniel stated. "Daddy's a doctor." Daniel said proudly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Dr Kent? He's a paediatric specialist down in the ED." Sam admitted and now that she said it, she felt a little stupid that she hadn't trusted her husband in the first place.

"Oh yeah, Tom? I know him, he comes up her with referrals sometime." Harry nodded. "But trust me, I've had parents come in here worrying about their babies being bald because they've got such fine hair or that they're baby is in really bad pain when all it takes is a frozen flannel or something cold for them to chew on." Harry said reassuringly.

"Sorry for wasting your time." Sam apologised as she got up.

"Oh don't be, I'm a lot happier to tell parents that their child is fine rather than they've got a condition or what not." Harry stated as he opened the door to show them out. Sam then carried Ella with Daniel walking behind her towards the lift and she headed down to the ED to find Tom.

* * *

"Sam?" She heard and she turned around to see her husband walking towards them as they made their way into the staffroom to get somewhere quiet rather than the busy reception. "What did they say?"

"That I am a 'perfectly normal worried mother'." Sam quoted.

"So Ella's in the clear yeah?"

"I'm sorry I didn't just trust you in the first place." Sam apologised.

"Don't be sorry, it's natural that you're worried." Tom said reassuringly as he stroked Ella's cheek gently with his thumb. "Besides, if you weren't worried before, then Daniel's ASD wouldn't have been diagnosed as early as it was and it could've gotten worse."

"I suppose."

"Mummy? Can I stay here with Daddy this afternoon and be a doctor?" Daniel asked.

"Um, it's up to your dad." Sam stated.

"Sure you can. We can get lunch from the cafe in a bit." Tom smiled. "Why don't you go home, cuddle up with Ella and get some sleep? Don't take it in the wrong way but you look tired."

"D'ya know what? I think I might just go and do that." Sam admitted.

"Don't worry about cooking dinner either. I'll get a takeaway on the way home; we haven't had one in ages. Is there anything in particular that you fancy? Chinese, Indian, pizza..."

"Curry would be nice." Sam admitted.

"Alright. I'll get it on the way home." Tom nodded.

"Tom, can you come and take a look at- oh Sam, what're you doing here?" Fletch asked confusedly.

"Ella had an appointment but it's nothing to worry about, I was being over cautious." Sam explained.

"Uncle Fletch, you'll be pleased to know that Daniel is joining us for the rest of today." Tom announced.

"Oh brilliant. You can help me change the bed sheets again." Fletch smirked.

"Er, if I remember rightly, last time that resulted in a very big pillow fight and Zoe told you off." Sam stated.

"Yeah and we leant our lesson; never let Zoe find out you're having a pillow fight - you can still have them just don't get caught." Fletch joked.

"Right, well I'd better get going. Please don't let him get into too much trouble." Sam said to Tom before she kissed him on the cheek and headed out to her car.

* * *

**5pm**

Tom brought Daniel home put the bag of Indian food in the kitchen whilst Daniel ran into the living room and got his box of toys out. Tom then went upstairs to check on Sam because he wondered if she was still asleep as he had managed to get away from work a little bit earlier than usual.

"Sam?" Tom asked and as he came up the bathroom, he found it empty.

"In here." Sam said and Tom located the noise to have come from the ensuite bathroom where the door wasn't fully closed and Tom could see that the bath was filled up. He opened the door and went in to find Sam laying in the bath of warm, clear water with Ella lying on her bare chest and at just four and a half months after giving birth, Sam was looking as beautiful as ever. "You're home early." Sam stated.

"Yeah, Zoe let me go." Tom stated. "I've got the food downstairs. Do you want me to put it in the oven for a while?" Tom asked.

"No, we've been in here long enough." Sam replied as she slowly sat up with Ella held against her chest and she pulled out the plug. "Her towel is there if you want to lift her out." Sam stated and Tom grabbed the pink hooded towel off of the carrier that they usually laid Ella in whilst they ran the bath.

"Hello baby." Tom smiled as he lifted Ella and cuddled her against his chest whilst he gently rubbed the towel on her back and head to dry her very thin brown hair. "Did you get any rest?" Tom asked curiously as he handed Sam her towel.

"Yeah, we slept right through lunch then after I'd fed her, we had a bath so I am starving." Sam stated.

* * *

**Tuesday 7th April 2020, 7:30am**

Sam had gone for an early morning run so that she could run along the river whilst it was quiet, but it was also so that Tom was at home in case Ella woke and that Sam would be home in time for Tom to leave for work. Usually, she would come home to Tom coming out of the shower and Daniel and Ella still fast asleep but instead as Sam opened the door that morning, she was greeted with giggling coming from the kitchen. Sam was still catching her breath back but she took her earphones out and walked through to find Tom dressed for work, and he was cradling Ella against his chest whilst he messed about making Daniel, who as already dressed, laugh as he ate a bowl of cereals.

"Have a nice run?" Tom asked.

"Er, yeah." Sam replied confusedly. "What're you two doing up so early?" Sam asked as she tickled Ella's cheek.

"I thought it'd save you a job having to wash and dress both of them." Tom admitted. "Plus, they're both early risers rather than night owls so I thought maybe we should start the day a little earlier and then put them to bed a little bit earlier so that I can spend some time with them in the mornings where they're most awake." Tom explained.

"Daddy was pulling faces at Ella and she smiled." Daniel giggled.

"You were pulling faces at her?" Sam smirked.

"Yeah, she loves it. She even sticks her tongue out if you do, look. She tries to copy you." Tom stated as he poked his tongue out and Ella did too because she always received praise when she did so. "Good girl." Tom smiled. "Oh god look at the time, I said I'd give Zoe my paper on reducing costs in the PICU by eight o'clock, I'd better get going." Tom said as he carefully handed Ella over to Sam and then grabbed his portfolio. "I shall see you later, and you, and of course, you two too." Tom said as he went around and kissed Sam, Ella and Daniel on the cheek before he rushed out the door to get to work.

"Right, what do you want to do today?" Sam asked.

"Can we go swimming please? Because we haven't been swimming for ages." Daniel asked. And Sam had to think about it. Daniel couldn't go in the water by himself, just in case something happened and she couldn't leave Ella alone unless she left her in the crèche at the leisure centre, but she didn't fancy doing that because Sam had never left Ella there before, only Daniel. But then she supposed she could take Ella into the water and sit her in an inflatable ring.

"If we go, Ella will have to come in with us, and we'll have to stop at tescos on the way there to get her somethings." Sam warned.

"Okay!" Daniel nodded eagerly.

* * *

After stopping at tescos for a swimming costume, an inflatable baby ring with a built in seat and back rest and some swimming nappies Sam, Daniel and Ella arrived at the leisure centre. They paid and then went straight through to the family changing rooms because Daniel hated having to go into the females, where Sam laid Ella on top of a towel on the changing table on the wall and she locked the three in a large cubicle.

"Make sure you don't jump in near Ella because it'll be her first time in the pool and we might not be able to stay for ages because is don't know if it'll be too cold for her okay?" Sam warned.

"Okay." Daniel nodded. Sam got changed into her plain black swimming costume - she wasn't yet comfortable with wearing a bikini - and after Daniel was changed into his shorts and Ella was in her water nappy and costume, Sam got out the small yellow inflatable ring.

"Right, the faster you blow that up, the faster we can go and get in the pool." Sam said as she gave it to Daniel and so Daniel quickly blew it up and they went out to the pool. "Stay close." Sam warned as she carefully got into the water with Ella and Daniel handed her the yellow inflatable ring. "There we go, how do you like that?" Sam asked as Ella floated in her little ring. She smiled as he daughter kicked her legs a little and then reached her hands out so Sam held them for reassurance.

"Can I teach her to swim?" Daniel asked.

"She's too young to learn." Sam replied. "But when she's old enough, I'm sure you and daddy together can teach her to swim. Do you remember how you learnt to swim?" Sam asked.

"No."

"Daddy taught you. Last year in the summer, we had a pool in the garden and he taught you how to swim and in the swimming pool when we went on holiday to Spain, he taught you then as well." Sam explained.

* * *

**Coming up: Ella takes a tumble as she begins to learn to walk, but it has unexpected consequences and a diagnosis is given, that potentially affects the whole family.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading and sorry about the abrupt ending but I didn't have much time to write today :) Please review :)**


	51. Chapter 51

**Monday 31st August 2020**

At 9 months old, Ella was able to stand up and take a couple of steps, but she was yet to take her first step without assistance because she could only walk if she held on to someone or something. It was the week before Daniel started school, but he wasn't very nervous because many of his friends in his play group at the hospital crèche were going to the same school as him.

"Sam, she's coming to get you." Tom grinned as Ella slowly pulled herself along as she held on to the legs of the chairs at the kitchen table whilst Sam prepared dinner and Daniel sat at the table colouring in. However as Sam turned around to watch her daughter's progress, she frowned as she watched Ella fall forwards and she landed on her knees and then her bum. "Oopsy daisy, should daddy kiss it better?" Tom asked as he quickly leapt forwards and scooped her up into his arms but Ella erupted into a crying fit as she clutched her knees. "Ella, it can't have hurt that much." Tom protested.

"I don't know, the kitchen floor is pretty hard." Sam stated as she wiped her hands on the tea towel to dry them before she wiped one of the many tears off of Ella's cheeks. "Just check she's not bleeding and you can change her nappy while you're at it, she smells." Sam ordered before she went back to the kitchen counter.

"You don't smell do- oh Jesus, you do smell don't you?" Tom grimaced as he held Ella at arms length in in front of him as though she was an unexploded bomb and then carried her upstairs to her pink nursery to clean her up.

* * *

**7pm**

Two hours had passed after Ella's tumble and she was still upset and refusing to take another step whenever Tom placed her on her feet. Sam had just given her a dose of strawberry paracetamol liquid but she knew it would take a while to kick in whilst Tom stayed in the bathroom where Daniel was playing in the bath as part of his bedtime routine.

"I don't understand, how can one little fall upset you this much? You've been fed, we've read you a story and had cuddles. What else do you want me to do?" Sam huffed as she cradled her baby against her chest. "Are you too hot? Let's take your sleep suit off and see if that helps." Sam said as she carried Ella into her nursery, laid her on the changing table and unbuttoned it. She then pulled it off and froze as she noticed bruising on Ella's knees. But it wasn't just two little bruises, they were large and it almost looked as though her knees were swollen. "Jesus." Sam gasped. "Right let's get you changed quickly and then we'll take you to the hospital." Sam said as she undid Ella's nappy. But as she opened it, she found a small amount of faeces which wasn't out of the ordinary, but there were streaks of dark red blood too. "Tom!" Sam shouted.

"Yeah?" Tom replied worriedly, but Sam did not reply. "Sam...? Right, I'll be right back. Do not move." Tom ordered his son before he ran out of the ensuite and into Ella's nursery where he found Sam staring as his naked daughter with a bloodied nappy and bruised knees. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I just... I just took her sleepsuit off and her knees were bruised so I was going to change her and take her to the hospital but then I opened her nappy and... What's wrong with her?" Sam asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Tom admitted. "You go and get Daniel dried and changed into his pyjamas, I'll clean Ella up and we'll go to the hospital okay, don't panic because that won't get us anywhere." Tom stated.

* * *

"Louise I need Zoe and a bed in cubicles now." Tom ordered as he approached the reception in the ED with Ella, who was still crying, in a bundle of blankets against his chest and Sam followed quickly behind with Daniel who was in his blue dressing gown.

"Why? What's-"

"I don't have time to explain, just get Zoe now." Tom ordered.

"Tom?" Zoe questioned.

"Something's wrong with Ella. I- please you have to take a look at her." Tom begged as he knew that he was in no fit state to evaluate his own daughter and Zoe was the best doctor in the place who would be able to get help and fast is they needed it.

"Alright, bring her through." Zoe said as she opened the door and the family of four went through and into an empty cubicle. "Right, is she breathing okay? What's the problem?" Zoe asked as Tom laid Ella, who was softly crying, down on the bed and Sam lifted Daniel up onto the end of the bed.

"She fell over earlier onto a hard floor and I thought nothing of it but her knees are really badly bruised and them I changed her nappy and she had blood in it." Sam explained quickly and Zoe realised that she was seeing a rare vulnerable side to Sam because Tom was always showing off his parenting skills when he had Daniel at work but Sam hardly ever let her guard down.

"Okay, both of you calm down. Is there a blood clotting disorder in either of your family histories?" Zoe asked as Tom unfolded the blankets revealing Ella in just a white sleepsuit and at that question, Sam and Tom looked at each other in epiphany.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Sam shrieked.

"Hey, calm down we don't know if it is that yet." Zoe stated.

"No no, it must be a blood clotting disorder. She's had nose bleeds, her gums bled a lot during teething, blood in her nappy and the easy bruising. It all adds up." Tom concluded.

"Well the most common condition is haemophilia but it's incredibly rare in girls." Zoe stated as she pulled over an equipment trolley.

"I can do the blood test." Tom stated.

"You know I can't let you do that." Zoe sighed.

"But daddy's a doctor." Daniel stated.

"Yes but Daddy isn't allowed to treat his own family Daniel, it's against the rules." Zoe explained simply. "Look you or Sam can hold her while I do it, but I'm taking the sample." Zoe stated as she got the cannula and vial ready.

"Sam do you- Sam? Sam, it's okay..." Tom tried to reassure Sam but she had already disappeared through the double doors and out of cubicles.

"Mummy-"

"No, don't you go too. Mummy'll be back when she's calm herself down." Tom said as he pulled the railings up on the bed to keep both him and Ella on it. "Go on, take the sample." Tom nodded as he held Ella's hand and Zoe gently took the blood sample from her upper arm before she held a bit of cotton wool tightly over the puncture area to aid clotting.

"Right, I'll take this down to the lab myself alright, get it rushed through." Zoe stated. "And I'll put Ella's name into the system so that she's technically admitted as a patient.

"Yeah, thanks Zoe." Tom said gratefully as Daniel climbed on to the end of the bed.

"No worries."

* * *

**9pm**

Tom was lying on the bed with Daniel sleeping besides him and Ella fidgeting on his chest as he tried to settle his children when, fifteen minutes after disappearing, Sam returned to the cubicle.

"I'm sorry I ran off, I just... I needed some air and I felt sick." Sam mumbled.

"Were you sick?" Tom asked worriedly and Sam shook her head. "It's okay, we're just waiting for Ella's blood results." Tom said as he took Sam's hand in his and gave it a small squeeze.

"Why didn't we work it out sooner Tom? We're both doctors, how did we not-"

"Sam, we don't even know what's actually wrong with her yet. Besides, if it is haemophilia then there's nothing we could have done to make much of a difference." Tom stated.

"It's not haemophilia." Zoe announced as she arrived with an orange envelope.

"What is it then?" Sam asked as she wiped her eyes; she had clearly been crying but was trying to hide it.

"Ella has got what's called Von Willebrand disease. Have you heard of it before?" Zoe asked slowly.

"No, what is it? Is it serious?"

"Calm down, she's at no immediate risk." Zoe said softly. "Basically, I don't know a lot myself but from what I've just read online, it's an inherited blood disorder."

"Inherited? So one of us gave it to her?" Sam asked ashamedly.

"By the sounds of it, yes I'm afraid so."

"So Daniel could have it." Sam concluded worriedly.

"No, Daniel would've had his blood clotting factor checked before he had his ASD operation so I'm pretty sure he doesn't have it." Zoe stated. "I really don't know a lot about this so the best thing that I can do for you, is to refer you to a specialist in haematology. I booked you an appointment for tomorrow morning at 7:30am. And I can't give you the full day off, but it will be fine if you turn up for your shifts tomorrow an hour or two late okay?"

"So that's it? We've just got to go home and wait until tomorrow?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Yeah. I mean, rubbing Ella's knee joints might help reduce the swelling, but it'll probably just go away by itself overnight." Zoe replied.

"Thank you. For doing the test and for booking the appointment." Sam said gratefully.

"It's not a problem. I can imagine it's a lot to take on... I know it's not ideal, but it's late and the oncall room is empty so if you guys want to sleep in there overnight then that's fine. There's nappies and things like that in the store room and you can change into your scrubs in the morning."

"I just want to go home." Sam muttered helplessly.

"It's alright. We'll go home, I'll drive." Tom stated.

* * *

**Tuesday 1st September 2020, 7:30am**

The Kent Family had just entered a consult room on haematology after following a man who appeared to be someone in charge.

"Mr and Mrs Kent, I am Dr Mark Dolan and from now on, I will be Ella's consultant. Now I've been reading through her blood results and the symptoms that she's experienced, so really this appointment is just going to be me explaining to you what Von Willebrand disease is and how we can manage it. And don't worry, I am well aware that you two are doctors so in won't be dumbing it down like is usually have to." The man explained as Tom and Sam sat on the two chairs. Tom had Daniel on his lap and Sam had Ella leaning against her torso as she played with her mother's hair to occupy her. "Now, Von Willebrand disease, or VWD, is recessively inherited, so we already know that _both_ of you are carriers. However, you may also have VWD, just a very mild version of it so we will be needing blood samples from you both to test you for it and we'll need to test Daniel to see if he is a carrier too. There are three main types of the diseas, type one, two and three. And Ella has type three which is the most serious, she has very little clotting factor, in fact almost none at all, in her blood which can cause nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums, bleeding in the bowels, prolonged bleeding and easy bruising. It can also cause very heavy periods in girls which often results in anaemia but with the right treatment, we can prevent that. Though we won't be able lighten her periods and that is generally, the major issue with VWD. Mrs Kent, this is a very personal question but I need to determine Ella's risk of developing heavy periods. Do you, yourself have heavy periods?"

"Yeah. I started taking the pill but it didn't have a significant effect." Sam replied.

"What's a heavy period?" Daniel asked.

"Sshh, I'll tell you later." Tom said quietly, though he hoped that his son would forget what he had asked.

"Okay well, the best thing to do would be to explain to Ella when she's older and nearer to starting about what we can do and what she might experience because it can be a bit of by shock at first-"

"I started when I was nine." Sam interrupted. "So did my mum." She added.

"Right well, she might not necessarily start at that age but we will be making future appointments for Ella. Currently, what I need to do is give you doses of Von Willebrand clotting factor which can only be used in an emergency if Ella loses a significant amount of blood. But it is not to be used if she has a nosebleed or some blood on her stools because that isn't enough to require it."

* * *

"I want mummy." Daniel cried as he reached his arms out as a nurse attempted to take a tissue sample from Daniel so that he could be tested for the gene.

"It's alright. We're both here Daniel, it's just going to be a tiny pinch and then it'll all be over." Sam said reassuringly. "Me and Daddy have got to have this done in a minute too so don't worry." Sam smiled, though she knew that she and Tom weren't having a skin tissue sample, they were having a blood sample taken to see if they had the disease too, though it would be in mild form if they did have it.

"Just do it." Daniel squealed as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's already done." The nurse smiled. "See? You didn't even feel it."

"Oh..."

"Right, who's next?" The nurse asked and Sam reluctantly got up, sat in the chair and rolled her sleeve up.

* * *

"I feel sick." Sam croaked as she and Tom laid in bed. And she knew that neither of them could sleep. Ella was fast asleep in her nursery and Daniel was asleep too but they had no idea that Sam and Tom were under so much pressure as they had to wait a few days for the results.

"I know. I do a bit too." Tom admitted as Sam rolled over so that she was facing him and he gently stroked her hair. Both could see each other in the moonlight that was coming through the window that they forgot to pull the curtains for.

"I mean, Ella's certainly got the disease y'know? We know that, we _know_ what we can do and we know that she will definitely have a child that has the disease or that is a carrier, there's no way around it. But what if Daniel is a carrier? How do we tell him that his children could get a disease because of us? And then there's us. I know we're both carriers. What if I fall pregnant again? We've got a 50% chance of having a child that carries the disease, a 25% chance of them having the disease and-

"And a 25% chance of having a healthy child." Tom said softly.

"And I'm worried that I have the disease." Sam admitted.

"What?"

"Think about it, I've always had heavy periods. What if that's a symptom and-"

"Sam, you take part in MMA and other extreme sports, if you have a blood clotting disorder, you'd have found out by now. Some women just have heavy periods for no reasons." Tom said reassuringly. "Look, we've just got to wait for the results because that's all we can do. There's no point in worrying about them because we can't change them, what's done is done. Please don't cry... I hate seeing you sad." Tom admitted as he brushed his thumb along Sam's cheek and wiped a tear away. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you have you actually started your periods since you gave birth?" Tom asked curiously.

"Not yet, no." Sam sniffed as she shook her head.

"Alright. I just wanted to know. Now come on, try and get some sleep before Ella wakes up for her next feed." Tom ordered as he pulled the duvet up to their chins and wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam and Tom get the results back, is Daniel a carrier? And does Sam have the disease? Then, a few months later, they have a power cut and Sam comes up with an idea to spend their money that they won on the lottery.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	52. Chapter 52

**Wednesday 2nd September 2020, 6am**

Sam hadn't been able to sleep, just like the previous day as they were still awaiting their results of their genetic tests and she expected them to be able to get their results that day at the hospital. However, once Sam made her way downstairs to get a drink of water, she found an A4 brown envelope on the door at by the front door and on it was a yellow post-it note.

'_Your results were ready by the time I finished my shift tonight and I thought I'd drop them off so you don't have to go to haematology, Zoe_.'

Sam forgot about the bottle of water and quickly ran upstairs because she wanted more than anything to know the results, but she wanted to find them out at the same time of her husband.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Tom asked as he came out of the ensuite after using the toilet.

"Zoe dropped our results off." Sam stated as she held the envelope in her hands.

"Have you opened them?" Tom asked and Sam bit her lip nervously as she shook her head.

"You tell me what it says." Sam ordered as she handed him the envelope.

"Alright." Tom nodded as he slowly opened it and then Sam watched as his eyes skimmed through the paperwork. "Right. You and I are definitely carriers, but neither of us has VWD." Tom stated. "And Daniel... _Isn't_ a carrier. He hasn't got the gene." Tom announced happily as it was the best possible knew that could've come out of the situation.

"Oh thank god!" Sam exclaimed as she reached up and hugged Tom. "Y'know I've spent hours thinking about how to explain to Daniel that he could have kids that carry the gene." Sam admitted.

"Yeah me too." Tom nodded.

"We've still got to talk to Ella about if she has kids though. She can't avoid it, she'll either have a kid that carries the gene, or a kid that has the disease." Sam said sadly.

"We've still got years until we reach any of those tough decisions, come on. Let's go and say good morning to our little princess." Tom smiled as he took Sam's hand and lead her through to the nursery where their 9 month old daughter was lying the wrong way in her cot with not much room above her head or below her feet, but plenty of room to her side, and she had fallen asleep sucking her thumb. "Why does she always sleep in odd positions?" Tom laughed softly as he put his arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Maybe because she fidgets a lot. Just like her father." Sam smirked. "Y'know, just looking at her, you'd never know that there's anything wrong with her. Until of course, she falls over or has an accident. And then there's the whole problem with when she starts her periods. If she's as young as I was, she'll be petrified." Sam shuddered at the thought of such an ordeal that her daughter would one day have to go through.

"Well, she's got a bloody supportive mum - pun intended - to help her through all of that." Tom smiled. "Ah, hello sleeping beauty. Did you know someone's talking about you?" Tom asked as Ella began to stir and she pulled her thumb out of her mouth.

"Uh. Uh." Ella grunted as she slowly got up and sat on her bum before she reached out for Sam.

"Milk machine, your services are required." Tom grinned and Sam rolled her eyes as she lifted Ella out of her cot, and got cosy in the rocking chair in the corner of the room before she unbuttoned her checkered night shirt, unclipped her bra and began feeding her beautiful daughter. "We can manage Ella's condition." Tom said adamantly. "She's a fighter just like you and I'm sure she'll be fine, as long as she doesn't want to be a wrestler or a rugby player when she's older." Tom joked as he used his foot to gently rock the chair backwards and forwards for Sam and his child.

* * *

**Tuesday 1st June 2021, 8pm**

Ella was 18 months old, whilst Daniel was 5 years old and both were as hyper as each other. Of course with Ella's condition, the entire house was 'Ella-proofed' meaning that all sharp edges were covered, all hard floors (except the bathrooms) had been replaced by soft carpet, and baby gates were everywhere so that Ella couldn't climb, crawl, toddle or walk anywhere unsupervised. It was beginning to get dark and Daniel's bedtime routine had begun whilst Ella was already fast asleep in her cot whilst Daniel was being read a story too by his mother and father when suddenly, all the lights went off and they were in near darkness with only a little light coming in from the window.

"Mummy?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"It's alright. It's probably just a bulb that's blown." Sam said reassuringly.

"You two stay here, and I'll go and check the fuse." Tom stated as he carefully made his way downstairs whilst Daniel grabbed the torch that he used to go to the bathroom in the night and switched it on. Sam kept her hand on top of Daniel's so that he knew that she was there for a few minutes until Tom came back up. "Er... Not good news. It's not just our house, the entire street is out by the looks of it." Tom announced as he peaked out of Daniel's bedroom window. "The power has completely cut out. That means that the fridge and freezer isn't working and the stuff in there is going to spoil." Tom stated.

"Well it's a good job that we need to go shopping then isn't it?" Sam concluded. "Right, let's finish your story off and then-"

"No. I can't go to sleep without lights." Daniel said pleadingly as he held on tightly to Sam's hand. "Please don't leave me."

"I won't Daniel, don't worry." Sam smiled. "Maybe it'll only be for a few minutes or so." Sam suggested to her husband.

"Well we'll just have to wait and see." Tom stated.

"Do you want to come downstairs with mummy and daddy then? We can play a game of monopoly?" Sam suggested as it was Daniel's favourite game because it involved basic maths and he liked to show off his skills that he had learnt in his first two terms of school, as well as what Sam and Tom had taught him.

"Yeah!" Daniel said eagerly.

"Alright, I'll take you down because it's dark, but we'll get some torches out and light a few candles to make it lighter." Sam said as she scooped her child out of bed and the three went downstairs. They all sat around the square board on the carpet and Tom light several candles and put them in the fireplace so that they weren't too close to be knocked over, but they kept the room warmly lit.

"Do you want to be the banker?" Tom asked as he put the box between him and his wife - they always cheated using the banker's money to help Daniel by telling him that it's okay to 'borrow' money from the bank if you ask nicely or that mummy and daddy will sell them properties to match his colours at a very fair price.

"Um- did you hear that?" Sam asked abruptly.

"Hear what-"

"Sshh!" Sam ordered abruptly.

"Mummy." She heard sobbed and she could tell it was Ella who currently had a vocabulary of less than a dozen words but Sam and Tom could understand what she was saying most of the time anyway because of their strong bond with her.

"I'll be right back." Sam stated as she jumped up and ran upstairs to her daughter's bedroom where Ella was in a cot bed because Sam had feared that she would injure herself as she always tried to climb out of her cot. But Sam was still worried about Ella falling out of bed so she always got to her daughter as soon as she heard movement in the night to check on her - a simple fall could have serious consequences that weren't necessarily life threatening but they could cause her a lot of pain. Sam ran into the bedroom to find Ella sitting up in her bed in floods of tears as she cuddled her favourite teddy bear, Ted, against her chest. "Hey baby, what's the matter?" Sam asked softly as she used the torch on her phone.

"Nu nu." Ella hiccuped as she pointed to the bottom of her wall and Sam realised that Ella's pink night light was no longer working without the power, and she knew her daughter couldn't sleep without it.

"You don't like the dark do you?" Sam asked softly as she used a hello kitty tissue from Ella's besides table to wipe her daughter's tears away. "Me, Daddy and Daniel are playing a game downstairs, I could do with a little helper. Could you come and give me a hand?" Sam asked and Ella nodded as she kept a tight hold of Ted. "Okay, come on. But no tantrums, I know you're probably tired but you can have an extra nap tomorrow to make up for it." Sam said sternly as she picked up her daughter and carefully carried her down the stairs in her pink pyjamas. "Ella can't sleep because her night light has gone out so she's going to help me." Sam said softly as she sat cross legged and put Ella and Ted in her lap.

"But she puts all of the pieces in her mouth." Daniel moaned.

"She won't do if she's got Ted." Sam said softly as she stroked her daughters soft, brown, straight hair that reached her shoulders.

"Tell you what. This is probably a really bad idea at this time of night, but seeing as the freezer and fridge aren't working, how about I go and get us an ice lolly each?" Tom suggested.

"Ooh can you get the smoothie ice cubes that Ella likes?" Sam asked. "And bring in some tissues too in case she makes a mess."

"I'll have an orange one please." Daniel requested and soon, Tom returned with three ice lollies and an ice cube tray with several pink ice cubes in that Sam had made freezing a strawberry and yogurt smoothie in them. "Thank you."

"Cold!' Ella exclaimed as she held an ice cube in her hand and gummed and chewed on it as it soothed the backs of her gums where her molars were beginning to come in.

"Right, let's play monopoly." Tom announced.

* * *

**Wednesday 2nd June 2021, 7am**

Sam slowly opened her eyes to find that she was lying on the living room floor cuddling her daughter who was curled up in front of her. And besides her, Tom was on the sofa with his arm around Daniel and both were fast asleep. Then it clicked, it was a school day and it was daylight outside so it must've been time to get up. Sam was confused until she realised that their alarm clocks were upstairs in their bedroom and they were plugged into the wall socket so they would've been reset if the power had come back on. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and gasped at the time.

"Tom, Daniel and Ella up now." Sam ordered abruptly as she got up to her feet and began to put the monopoly game away.

"What?" Tom croaked.

"Tom, it's 7am; we're gonna be late for work and Daniel's gonna be late for school." Sam stated bluntly and so Tom opened her eyes and then gave Daniel a gentle shake.

"Crap." Tom muttered. "Come on mate, up you get."

* * *

**8:30am**

"We made it, we're not late." Sam announced as she and Tom burst into the staffroom before they had to stand up and catch their breath back.

"I take it you haven't heard then." Fletch grinned as he was the only one in the staffroom other than Sam and Tom.

"Heard what?" Sam panted.

"Zoe's not in today." Fletch smirked and Sam let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Did you have a power cut last night?" Tom asked curiosity as Fletch only lived across the street from them.

"Yeah, the power came back on about midnight." Fletch replied.

"We went to bed at about half eleven." Tom moaned.

"When he says we went to bed, he really means we fell asleep on the living room floor and I was cuddling Ella and Tom was cuddling Daniel because neither can go to sleep without a light." Sam explained as she dumped her things into her locker.

* * *

"I've barely seen you all day." Tom sighed as he sat down on the sofa next to Sam in the staffroom as he took his lunch break.

"Mm, I've been in resus all morning." Sam admitted as she had some of her smoothie. "Listen, I've been thinking. And..."

"What have I told you about that?" Tom joked.

"Seriously, you know we've got all of the money sitting in the bank that we won on the postcode lottery?" Sam began.

"Yeah." Tom nodded.

"Well I think I've found something that I want us to spend a fraction of it on." Sam admitted.

"Please tell me you're talking about a boob job." Tom pleaded jokily.

"Yeah I'm really going to get a boob job when I'm still breastfeeding Ella aren't I?" Sam said sarcastically as she had once again extended breastfeeding with Ella so that she now had one feed early in the morning, and once feed just before bedtime. Most of her nutrition came from cow's milk and solid foods but Sam liked to keep breastfeeding as a bonding time where she and Ella could spend some time together.

"Sorry, go on. What were you thinking of spending the money on?" Tom asked.

"Well..." Sam began.

* * *

**Coming up: After Tom agrees with Sam's idea, what will they have spent the money on? And then there's some girly time between Ella and Sam, and some fluff between Sam and Tom.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	53. Chapter 53

**You can look up the caravan that Sam and Tom get if you want to get an idea of what it looks like, it's a Swift Elegance 645 :)**

* * *

**Friday 23rd July 2021**

At 19 months old, Ella couldn't be further than arms reach from either one of her parents because she couldn't bare to be apart from them. But when she was outside of the house, she was absolutely terrified of everything and everyone. She would only do something if she had close contact with Sam and/or Tom and the only other person that she trusted was Daniel and rarely Fletch.

It was a Friday evening, and Sam and Ella were shopping whilst Daniel and Tom were collecting the one thing that Sam had wished to spend a tiny fraction of their £2m winnings on the postcode lottery: a brand new caravan. And because 5 year old Daniel had just broken up from school for the summer holidays that day, they were going away for their first holiday in it, for a whole week. Also because Sam and Tom had no fears about money troubles, they had bought one of the most expensive caravans available at £27,495 that was brand new, and almost 8m long so it had plenty of room for the family of four. And Sam and Ella were buying all the essentials that they would need including a first aid kit that they would permanently keep on there.

"Which ones shall we get?" Sam asked her daughter who was sitting in the seat in the trolley as Sam held up a box of Disney character plasters and a box of spongebob squarepants plasters and Ella clearly pointed to the disney ones because it had Minnie Mouse on the front. "What do you say?" Sam prompted to her daughter who had a fairly small vocabulary.

"Peas!"

"Yeah, please." Sam smiled as she put the box in the trolley and then moved on as she had gotten everything for the first aid kit, though the most important thing was already at home: Ella's Von Willebrand clotting factor which was to be used in case of an emergency if Ella was bleeding too much.

"Hello Ella!" Fletch smiled as he approached the pair with a basket as he too had been doing some shopping. But quickly, Ella began squirming and whining so before she hurt herself, Sam lifted her out of the chair and held her against her chest.

"Sshh, it's alright." Sam said softly as Fletch gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't you remember him? It's uncle Fletch." Sam stated but Ella probably wasn't going to take her head out from under Sam's chin until she was back in the car and out of the stranger-filled supermarket as she clung tightly to her mother.

"Whatcha got all that lot for?" Fletch asked curiously as he looked at all of the medical stuff in the trolley.

"For the caravan." Sam said simply.

"Oh, you're going away tomorrow aren't you? Where abouts are you going?"

"Devon. So we've got to keep you and Daniel busy for an hour and a half in the car, haven't we?" Sam said to her daughter who still had her arms around Sam's neck but she gave a small nod. "Sorry, I'd better get going." Sam said as she gestured her daughter.

"That's fine, I'm sorry I scared her."

"_Everyone_ scares her." Sam joked halfheartedly as she pushed the trolley to the back corner of the supermarket where the baby aisle was so that it was quiet, and she tried to calm her daughter down. "Ella, you can look up it's just me and you." Sam said softly and slowly, Ella opened her eyes and lifted her head from Sam's chest. "Now I've got to get on with the shopping so can I put you in your seat now? Yeah? Good girl." Sam praised as she carefully lowered Ella into the seat in the trolley where she was sitting on a folded up blanket to make it more comfortable but before Ella let go completely, she grabbed Sam's finger. And Sam smiled as she continued to hold her daughter's hand whilst she bent down and picked up a large pack of nappies and out them in the trolley. She knew it would make shopping a little harder but she also knew that it was a comfort to her daughter so she didn't let go as she went around the entire shop.

* * *

Sam grinned as she got out of the driver's seat of her car as she returned from shopping to find that on the driveway was the 'Swift Elegance 645' and Tom had just pulled up from collecting it.

"Do you know how weird it is driving a car with a 1700kg thing on the back?" Tom smirked as he got out of the car and opened the back door so that Daniel could jump out too.

"It'll be even heavier once we load it up." Sam stated bluntly. "We filled up an entire big trolley and a basket. And it was so tiring that someone fell asleep on the way home." Sam added and Tom smiled as he walked up to the back seat window to see that Ella was fast asleep in her car seat.

* * *

**Saturday 24th July 2021, 3am**

Usually, Ella slept through the night but there was the odd occasion when she would wake up and couldn't get back to sleep because even with her pink night light on, she was afraid of the darkness that surrounded her. Sam slowly opened her eyes as she was sure she heard something, but after listening tentatively for a few moments, it was silent.

"Mummy?" Sam heard it again and she knew it was her 19 month old daughter so she crept through the pitch blackness, across the landing and into her daughter's room, slightly illuminated by her pink night light, where Ella was sitting up in her bed with her thick blanket clutched up to her chin. Ella's room had a very thick carpet and the entire area was filled with dozens of soft plush toys so that Ella could roll around and play in her bedroom without causing herself an injury, but with Ella only just learning to walk, and needing support with every step, her falls were frequent and each time she took a small tumble, Sam's heart skipped a beat.

"Hey, can't you sleep?" Sam asked softly as she went and knelt down besides her daughter's cot bed which was just a small version of a normal bed. Ella grunted in reply as she rubbed her stomach and Sam knew exactly what that gesture meant; Ella's disease meant that she sometimes had bleeding in her stomach or intestines which didn't cause her a lot of pain, but it did cause a little bit of irritation as well as blood in her stools which always worried Sam or Tom whenever they changed her nappy, even though for Ella, it was normal. "Why don't, me and you have a cuddle and see if you can sleep then?" Sam suggested and Ella nodded so Sam scooped up Ella in her arms and carried her through to her and Tom's bedroom.

"Everything alright?" Tom asked sleepily as Sam had turned the bedside lamp on just so that she could see where she was going.

"Ella's got a bit of a tummy ache but she thinks that a cuddle might help her get back to sleep." Sam explained softly as she laid Ella in the middle of the bed and then Sam carefully got under the duvet besides her.

"How come she gets to sleep in your bed but I can't?" Daniel moaned groggily as he stood in the doorway and rubbed his eyes with his hairs sticking up in all directions.

"Because you're a lot older and Ella's ill." Tom replied exhaustedly as he knew that now he was going to have to go and tuck his son back into bed.

"It's never fair, Ella's always ill and you love her more than me but you said you wouldn't!" Daniel shouted as tears began to roll down his cheeks and because Daniel was making lots of noise, Ella began getting upset.

"That's not true." Tom protested firmly as he got out of bed.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Ella hiccuped though her 'r's were pronounced more like 'w's so she was saying 'so-wee'.

"Hey, sshh. Ella you've done nothing wrong." Sam said reassuringly as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Look, I'm gonna come and sleep in your bed tonight but first you and I are going to have a chat." Tom said as he took Daniel's hand and walked him out of the room.

"Let's wipe those tears away, and cheer up eh? Just think about all the fun we're going to have on holiday this week." Sam said quietly as she stroked her daughters straight brown hair to soothe her. "Daniel's just a bit grumpy because it's really early in the morning. Which is also why you're a bit emotional, isn't it?" Sam smiled and Ella nodded because it sounded like that was what her mother wanted her to do and she liked to receive praise. "Night night." Sam whispered as she kissed Ella on the forehead, clicked the bedside lamp off and then snuggled up with her little girl.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tom took Daniel to his room, sat the boy in his bed and then knelt down in front of him.

"You're a little bit to young to understand this, but... Ella, she's got a disease that she's going to have for the rest of her life. And because of that, me and mummy have to be very careful of what she does. So for example, when we take you to the park, we can let you run around by yourself or with your friends because if you fall over, you might get a small graze or a bump, but you'll be fine yeah? But if Ella falls over, she could get hurt really badly and it could cause her a lot of pain for several days. Which is why, either me or mummy have to run around with Ella to make sure that she stays safe okay. We don't pay more attention to Ella because we love her more, because we love you both as much, it's because we have to be careful of what she does. And the reason mummy's letting her sleep in our bed, is because Ella's got a tummy ache, because of her disease, and you like lots of cuddles when you don't feel well don't you?"

"Yes." Daniel mumbled.

"Exactly. And I understand why you might think that we love her more, but I promise you we love both of you with all of our hearts okay? And we're gonna spend this holiday as a family of four and enjoy it as much as we can. That's why we got the caravan so that we can go away on holiday a lot more than once every couple of years because it's a lot easier to drive somewhere rather than organise an entire holiday." Tom explained though he knew that in reality his son hadn't really remembered the last bit of it. "So can you promise me, that you're going to say sorry to Ella and Mummy in the morning for upsetting them?"

"I promise." Daniel nodded.

"Good boy. Now c'mon, let's try and get some sleep." Tom ordered as he climbed into his son's bed and hugged him under the football themed duvet.

* * *

**7:30am**

Sam slowly opened her eyes to find that Ella was lying adjacent to her, on top of Tom's pillows with her head nuzzled into her mother's neck and she smiled because even when Ella had been a baby, they had always found her in odd positions in her cot.

"Mummy?" Sam looked down next to her without disturbing Ella to find that Daniel was standing there besides the bed twiddling his thumbs. "I'm sorry for shouting at you and I didn't mean to upset Ella so I'm sorry times two." Daniel said as he screwed his eyes up as though he had tried to memorise that he wanted to say.

"It's alright." Sam forced a smile before she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up properly. "Hello munchkin." Sam smiled as Ella lifted her head up and then looked at her mother. "You feeling better?" Sam asked and Ella nodded enthusiastically. "Well that's good isn't it?" Sam smiled.

"Me and Daniel made breakfast for everyone." Tom announced as he carried a tray into the bedroom and placed it in the middle of the bed. He and Daniel sat at the foot of the bed whilst Sam sat up and sat Ella in her lap because her daughter needed help feeding without making a mess.

"That looks lovely, thank you Daniel and daddy." Sam said though she knew that Tom would've done most've it. There was a fruit salad for Sam, a bowl of cereals for Daniel, some toast for Tom and Ella had a mixture of all three as she had a plate that had small squares of toast, a handful of dry cornflakes and a few slices of banana and chunks of pear.

* * *

**9am**

With a caravan packed with food, clothes, drinks and toys, a bike rack on the car as well as a roofbox, a cage in the boot of the car containing Shadow, Panda and Alex and the whole Kent Family in their seats, they were on their way to the camping site in Devon for a week packed of family activites.

* * *

**10:30am**

"Is this it?" Sam asked as Tom turned left down a country lane whilst being careful because he had a very heavy, very long caravan on the back as well as Ella and Daniel who were fast asleep because of the interrupted sleep caused by the early morning argument.

"Yeah, it should be just down here and then on the right." Tom said quietly.

"It's beautiful here." Sam exclaimed quietly. They were surrounded by green fields and very little noise unlike the city, and a few miles to their right, there was what looked like a big forest which they were sure to go hiking in with the dogs, who had also seemingly fallen asleep in the boot because they had been rather quiet and not disturbed the kids. Also, because it was summer, the weather was really sunny and the temperatures were gradually increasing as they were expected to soar around midday.

"Mm. This is a great idea of yours." Tom admitted.

"I know." Sam nodded smugly. "We can go away in this whenever we want, and all we have to pay for is some rent to pitch up at a camping site, and then some food and we're all ready to go. It doesn't even matter if it's raining because we can stay indoors and play games. And of course, it is a lot less stressful than taking those two through an airport and being worried about them getting lost. And we don't have to put the dogs in the kennels because that costs around £250 to put those three in the kennels for a week so we're saving a lot of money-"

"Okay, okay. I get the point, the caravan was an _amazing_ idea of yours now can you stop rubbing it in." Tom smirked as he playfully nudged Sam's arm and then put his hand back on the steering wheel and he turned around the corner to find a barrier across the road next to a small hut where beyond them they could see a field full of tents.

"Hello Sir, how can I help you?" The man asked cheerily.

"We've got a booking for Mr and Mrs Kent." Tom replied and the man clicked a few times on his computer before he printed out a small card,

"Alright, this is your pass so the next time you come in or out of here you can just use this in the machine to get past the barrier. You are in the Cherry Park field which is very easy to find by the signposts, just turn left there and then left again. And you're on pitch number 13. I hope you enjoy your stay here." He smiled as he opened the barrier.

"Thank you." Tom replied as he pulled forwards and in less than a minute, he found their field which was only small and had room for around 20 caravans, but there were only a dozen there so it was very spacious with plenty of room between the caravan pitches. "Right, now the tricky part, I've got to try and back up without hitting the power post, but close enough so that we can attach our short electricity leads. All whilst I don't swear because we've got kids in the back, and I've never reversed this thing before." Tom stated bluntly.

"Let me do it." Sam ordered.

"What?"

"I've driven heavier vans than this in camp bastion and we had to back them into tight spaces."

"I thought you were a medic." Tom stated confusedly.

"I was but there were always jobs that needed doing that weren't in people's job descriptions, you just helped out wherever you could if you weren't on duty." Sam stated. "Come on, let me do it." She repeated as she got out of the car and Tom reluctantly got out and Sam jumped into the driver's seat and then quietly shut the door so that she didn't wake the kids.

"Do you want me to see you back?" Tom asked, but Sam just rolled her eyes as she pulled away and he had to jump to get out of her way. He watched as she did just a two point turn and then backed perfectly into the grass pitch with the caravan right next to the power post where they could hook up to the electricity.

"Easy." Sam said smugly as she got out of the car and threw the keys at Tom.

"I could've done that." Tom protested weakly.

"Sure you could." Sam muttered as she put her hands on her hips. "Right, do you think we should wake them? Or set up and then wake them?" Sam asked.

"Leave them, if we wake them up they'll probably be grouchy." Tom stated.

* * *

After setting up the caravan completely as well as the awning which gave them double the amount of space, Tom let the dogs out of the boot and left them in Sam's capable hands before he drove off and parked the car in the car park. Then he decided to wake Ella up first because she was usually less grumpy after a nap than her sibling.

"Ella... Come on Ella, we're here." Tom whispered as he tickled her gently under her chin and Ella suddenly opened her bright blue eyes and looked straight up at her Daddy. "Do you want to come and see the caravan?" Tom suggested and Ella nodded as she rubbed her sleepy eyes and so Tom smiled as he lifted her out of her car seat and then balanced her on her hip to save her the journey and then he went around to Daniel's side.

"Mummy?" Ella said demandingly to her father as she frowned.

"Mummy's by the caravan, you'll see her in a minute I promise." Tom smiled before he gently rubbed Daniel's arm. "Sleepy head, wakey wakey." Tom said softly.

"What?" Daniel croaked.

"We're here." Tom stated and so Daniel got out of the car and he walked with his daughter on her hip over to the field where they were staying which wasn't far, but as soon as Ella caught a glimpse of Sam as she came out of the awning, Ella started fidgeting in Tom's arms and pushing him away from her.

"Mummy!" Ella shouted.

"Hello Ella!" Sam smiled as she crouched down and Tom reluctantly put Ella down on the grass where he knew she had little chance of hurting herself. But once she realised that she was standing by herself, she didn't want to take another step because doing so without something to hold onto was daunting.

"Come on Ella." Daniel said as he took Ella's hand and Sam's heart warmed as she watched Daniel give Ella a helping hand to walk over to her across the couple of meters of cool fresh grass.

"Good boy." Sam whispered into his ear as she hugged them both at the same time. "Right, how about Daddy takes you to the play area and I'll have made lunch by the time you get back?" Sam suggested.

"There's a play area?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"Nooo!" Ella moaned as she clutched on to Sam.

"Alright, how about you go with Daddy," Sam said to Daniel, "and you can help me make lunch?" Sam suggested to her daughter.

"Okay." Daniel nodded as he went over and held hands with Tom. Sam waved them off before she lifted Ella up and walked into the awning where there were table and chairs set up, as well as a picnic blanket where the dogs were chewing on a Pig's ear each that Sam had given them to keep them occupied.

"You need changing don't you?" Sam concluded once she smelt something and so he carried Ella into the caravan. On the left of the door were two sofas opposite each other with a table in the middle, and these two would be Ella and Daniel's beds at night. Directly in front of the door was some space, then the kitchen against the wall with a cooker, fridge, small freezer and cupboards. And to the right of the door was a medium sized double bed with a rounded end, and beyond that was the bathroom which was the entire width of the caravan, and inside it was a toilet, sink and shower.

Sam laid Ella down on a changing mat that she placed on the sofa and Sam felt awful as she changed her daughter's dirty nappy where there were several small streaks of dark red blood in it, but at the end of the day there was nothing she could do about it, other than give her a small dose of clotting factor, but Sam had been instructed by Ella's consultant to only use it as an emergency.

"Right, that's you cleaned up. Just sit there for me and I'll be right back." Sam said sternly as she sat Ella upright in the middle of the sofa and then washed her hands in the kitchen sink before she went back to her daughter. "I reckon we've got time to play a game before we have to make lunch so why don't we go outside, and see how your walking is coming along?" Sam suggested dad she picked Ella up, carried her outside of the awning and sat down with her on the cool grass under the shade of a tree which was refreshing because of how hot it was getting. She put Ella on her feet and held both of her hands. "Come on, one foot in front of the other." Sam said encouragingly and slowly, Ella took a couple of wobbly steps forward until Sam couldn't stretch her arms out any further. "Turn around and if you walk back to me, I'll give you a big hug." Sam smiled as she gently let go of Ella's hands and the little girl stood independently on her own two feet but she didn't look like she was going to move. "Come on, if you trip I'll catch you; there's nothing to be scared of."

"Hungy." Ella commented to try and avoid having to walk.

"I know you are, I'm hungry too. But if you take a couple of steps for me, we can go and make lunch." Sam pleaded and thankfully, Ella took one small step forward as she kept her arms out in front of her as though she was walking like Frankenstein, but Sam knew that her arms were keeping her balanced. "Well done Ella! Just a couple more steps, I know you can do it." Ella then placed the other foot forward but it was a little bit too far ahead and as she tumbled head first, Sam picked her up under her arms and then held her against her chest before she even had a chance of hitting the soft grass. "Well done, we can try again a bit later." Sam whispered as she rubbed her daughter's back. "Now, let's go and make lunch, and you need to get some fluids into you because it's getting very hot." Sam stated as she carried Ella into the caravan where she opened all the windows to keep it cool in there.

* * *

**6:30pm**

As part of Ella's bedtime schedule, she was having her routine bath but there wasn't a bath on the caravan so Sam was improvising. She had filled up the bottom of the shower with water which thankfully could fit a good 4 inches in, which was all her 19 month old baby needed. And she had used the sink's plug in the shower basin.

"In you get." Sam smiled as she lifted Ella over the edge of the shower that was keeping the soapy water in, and she sat her in the middle of the square shower whilst Sam sat on the mat outside of it to supervise her child.

"No cold!" Ella giggled as she splashed her hands in the water.

"Do you know what the word for something that isn't cold is?" Sam asked. "It's hot. Can you say hot?" Sam asked as she knew that saying hot would be easier for Ella to say rather than warm.

"Hot." Ella replied, though she barely pronounced the T at all and she made a noise that Santa would make.

"Good girl." Sam smiled as Ella played with her yellow toy starfish in the foamy water.

"Sam?" Tom queried as he poked his head around the corner of the bathroom.

"Daddy!" Ella squealed as she put both hands between her legs and tried to cover up.

"I'm not looking at you, princess." Tom grinned.

"Yeah?" Sam replied.

"Um, Daniel wants to go to the play area before he has to get ready for bed. Is he allowed if I go over with him or not?" Tom asked.

"Um... I don't know." Sam sighed.

"It'll wear him out for bedtime." Tom stated.

"Okay but I don't want him to come running in all hyper active because Ella might be asleep." Sam replied.

"I promise I'll be quiet when I come back." Daniel said as he poked his head around the door. "Pleeeeeeeeease?" He pleaded as he clasped his hands together.

"Only if you definitely are quiet, and if don't want any fuss when you get back, it'll be bedtime straight away. Yes?" Sam said sternly.

"Okay!" Daniel nodded eagerly.

"Right, I'll see you in a bit." Tom smiled as he waved goodbye to his little girl before he took his son to the play area.

"Mik?" Ella asked as she put her hands out either side with her palms facing upwards to show that she was asking something.

"Milk? Yeah, once we've gotten you ready for bed." Sam nodded. "Do you want to get out? We just need to wash you first don't we?"

* * *

Tom ushered the dogs inside the caravan and out of the awning so that they were inside for the night and Daniel dramatically tiptoed in to keep as quiet as possible like he had promised. Tom smiled as he found his wife living down on the sofa that had been made up as Ella's bed with a thin pink blanket if she needed it in the night but really she just liked to clench it in her first. And Sam was breastfeeding Ella, which she only did twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening to keep her daughter's immune system up and to help her bond with her daughter, which Tom was finding increasingly difficult to do because Ella always seemed to cry out 'Mummy' rather than 'Daddy'. But he knew he'd have time to bond with her over their holiday.

"Let's get your pyjamas on, go and brush your teeth and then I'll read you a quick story." Tom said as he reached up in the cupboard and handed Daniel a pair of pyjamas so he began to get changed quietly whilst Sam gently stroked Ella's straight brown hair.

"I think you're ready to go to sleep now, aren't you?" Sam whispered as Ella unlatched and she sleepily nodded so Sam pulled her pyjama top back up and then slid off of Ella's bed and into the middle of her children's beds where the table had been removed, like it would be for every night. "Night night." Sam whispered as she kissed Ella on the head and then the little girl closed her eyes so Sam went over to get into bed becuase she knew Tom could deal with Daniel. Once Daniel was put to bed, Tom read a short story to him before all the lights were turned off and Tom climbed into bed besides his wife.

* * *

**Sunday 25th July 2021, 1am**

Sam opened her eyes only to realise that she wasn't feeling very well. She got up and went to the bathroom only when she sat down on the toilet, she realised that her pale blue pyjama bottoms were stained with a bright red patch in the crotch and they were wet. Sam sighed as she knew that she would have to get changed completely as well as find her sanitary products which were in one of the cupboards in the main room, all whilst she tried not to wake her children or her husband which she knew was going to be very difficult.

She considered trying to use folded up toilet roll for the rest of the night but she knew that it wouldn't stay in place plus she would probably soak through it in a couple of hours so she reluctantly flushed the toilet, washed her hands and then silently crept into the main room. She decided that it was best to go slowly to kept the noise to a minimal as she took a clean pair of pyjama bottoms, this time black ones, out and thankfully, she found the sanitary products right next to her underwear in the same cupboard so she grabbed what she needed and went back to the bathroom.

After taking a few minutes to clean herself up, Sam switched the bathroom light off and went back into the main room where Tom was sitting up in bed and a bedside lamp was on. Sam glanced at her children to ensure that they were both asleep still before she looked back at Tom and saw that he was holding a box of ibuprofen and glass of milk so that she wouldn't be taking it on an empty stomach.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you." Sam apologised quietly as she took two tablets along with most of the glass of milk in one go.

"It's alright. It's not your fault." Tom smiled as he then took the box of tablets, put it in a high cupboard out of the reach of their children and then he put the glass in the washing up bowl before he and Sam got back into bed. "We didn't bring your hot water bottle did we?" Tom was disappointedly as he suddenly realised that something that often gave her instant pain relief was over an hour away.

"No, I forgot it." Sam admitted.

"Well to make up for your stupidity, I suppose I can give a lower abdominal massage if you want it." Tom whispered as he snuggled up behind her where Sam had her knees raised up slightly towards her abdomen.

"Yes please." Sam gave a small nod so Tom began gently palpating her abdomen whilst Sam took deep breaths.

"Y'know, I'm glad that you're on."

"Why?" Sam asked confusedly.

"Because when we're on holiday in this caravan, there's no chance of us making love because we sleep in the same room as the kids. So, if you're on now, that kills two birds with one stone, and then for the next three weeks we can be at it like rabbits after the kids have gone to sleep." Tom grinned.

"The thought of that right now makes me wanna pass out." Sam groaned quietly.

"Sorry. All I'm focused on right now, is getting you off to sleep so that you won't be in pain." Tom said kindly.

* * *

At 8am that morning, Sam had taken Daniel for a shower in the family bathroom in the toilet block so that she could keep an eye on him where there would be more room and the facilities were very modern and clean leaving Tom with Ella. And he finally had some time alone with her, though it went wrong very quickly. Tom was washing up at the sink whilst Ella sat on the floor on top of his feet so that he knew she was the at all times as she played with her pink blanket when he looked down after something caught his eye and he noticed spots of blood on the blanket.

"Daddy." Ella mumbled and Tom bent down to realise that she had blood dripping down over her mouth and off of her chin; she was having a nosebleed.

"It's okay Ella, it's just a little bit of blood. Look, me and you can have a cuddle until it stops." Tom said as he grabbed the box of tissues, picked Ella up and sat her on his lap, facing him as he sat on his and Sam's bed. He gently cleaned her up with the soft hello kitty tissues and held a tissue bunched up under her nose whilst she still had room to breath out of her mouth. "I think mummy's seen enough blood for one day, let's try and stop this before she comes back with your brother." Tom forced a smiled as he tried not to let his daughter panic. "Lean your head forward for me, so you're looking down at your blanket. Good girl. Just keep looking down and it'll all be over soon." Tom said reassuringly as he gently held the bridge of her noise however he knew that Ella's blood clotting disorder sometimes meant that she had a nosebleed for more than ten minutes, and it was going to seem a lot longer than that because Ella wasn't very patient and needed something to entertain her.

* * *

"Right I think it's all finished now. Just don't touch your nose." Tom said sternly as he pulled the bloodied tissue away from Ella and added it to the pile besides him.

"Ta." Ella smiled which was what they had taught her to say instead of thank you, because it was much simpler but she still knew the meaning of it.

"You're welcome, you were a very brave girl." Tom praised and suddenly Ella leant forward and wrapped her arms around Tom's neck. "Aw, I love you." Tom said softly as he hugged Ella back, and it was then that Sam and Daniel returned with wet hair but dressed for the day. Sam smiled at the sight of her husband and daughter but her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the pile of bloody tissues. "Ella had a nose bleed but she was a very good girl and stayed nice and calm." Tom explained as Ella continued to hug her father; she was quite comfortable where she was so she didn't want to move. And quite frankly, Tom was relieved that Ella hadn't jumped up and asked her mother for a hug when she had entered the caravan because she seemed content with where she was then.

"Okay." Sam forced a smile as she patted Ella on the back. "Right, shall we get your hair dried mister?" Sam said as she put her hands on her son's shoulders.

* * *

**Coming up: What will The Kent Family get up to on the remainder of their holiday? And will Tom manage to bond a little bit more with Ella?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	54. Chapter 54

**Monday 26th July 2021, 8am**

After sleeping in, in their caravan, until they woke up, the Kent Family had just had breakfast when they decided to get ready for the day.

"Right, I'm gonna take cheeky monkey number two for a shower, alright?" Sam said as she got up and brushed her thumb gently on Ella's cheek.

"Um, it's fine. I'll take Ella, you can take Daniel, he doesn't like getting changed in the men's changing rooms because it's usually really busy." Tom said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, Ella is so cute that we'll get to go front of the line won't we?" Tom grinned at his daughter.

* * *

After cleaning up, Tom filled a toiletry bag with his and Ella's things, grabbed his towel and Ella's little hooded pink towel and he was ready to go.

"Right, do you want to walk and hold on to my hand, or do you want me to carry you?" Tom asked.

"She isn't going to be able to walk all the way there." Sam stated but Ella frowned as though she knew what Sam had just said, and so the little girl crawled out of her chair and onto the floor before she carefully switched between leaning on the side, to leaning on Tom's leg.

"I think that's a 'I'm gonna prove you wrong face'." Tom chuckled as he took Ella's hand in his. "Right, let's get going." Tom smiled as he carefully went down the steps to the caravan before he lifted Ella down onto the ground because she could barely walk let alone attempt to climb stairs. Tom held the towels and toiletry bag in one hand and Ella's tiny hand in the other as they began to walk across the grass to the shower block, but he noticed that they were gradually getting slower until Ella was frowning as though she was frustrated but she was getting tired. "How about, I carry you the rest of the way, and I tell mummy that you walked the whole way?" Tom suggested. "You've done really well Ella, you can walk really far." Tom praised, even though she had only managed less than 10m and he knew that Sam would still be able to see them through the windows.

"Daddy." Ella mumbled as she reached her arms up and Tom smiled as he bent down, picked Ella up and balanced her on his hip so that he could continue the journey.

* * *

Later on in the day, Tom, Ella and Daniel were on their way to the camping site village shop to get marshmallows for their campfire whilst Sam had begun to cook dinner which they were having on a BBQ besides their caravan. Daniel was cycling on his small blue bike without stabilisers as he had learnt how to ride a few months ago with his parents' help. Of course, Ella was too young to have roasted marshmallows for the risk of choking, so Sam was just going to let her nibble on something else she liked instead.

"Daddy?" Daniel began.

"Yep." Tom replied as he walked along with Ella on his shoulders as she held on tightly but enjoyed the view from far above what she normally could see.

"Can we get a drink please? I'm thirsty." He requested.

"Well, seeing as you asked so nicely, I don't see why not. But you'll have to share it with me and Ella."

"Okay." Daniel nodded.

"Slow down." Tom warned and Daniel reluctantly applied his brakes to lower his speed.

"Heehee!" Ella giggled.

"What's so funny?" Tom asked confusedly, though he couldn't see because Ella was behind his head as he held on to her tiny shoes either side of his neck.

"She's pointing over there." Daniel stated and Tom followed Daniel's finger to find a black and white border collie sniffing around on the grass. _Hang on. That's Sam's border collie! _Tom thought.

"Shadow, come!" Tom ordered and thankfully, the dog obeyed and came and sat at Tom's feet. "How the hell did you get loose?" Tom asked confusedly as he took out his phone to ring Sam. "Daniel, just wait here a minute." Tom ordered.

"_Hello_?"

"Hello darling, you missing anything?" Tom asked patronisingly.

"_Er, no. Why_?" Sam asked confusedly.

"Because I've got your dog sitting in front of me who's just been on an adventure. And your children are finding it rather funny." Tom explained and Sam could hear Daniel, and mainly Ella, giggling in the background.

_"Shadow? But she was in the awning with Panda and Alex_." Sam stated confusedly.

"Are they both there still?" Tom asked.

_"Yeah, they're here_." Sam stated.

"Right, we're pretty much at the shop now so I'll just keep here with us for now. But try not to lose another one of your dogs."

"_Fine but I'm not promising anything_." Sam joked.

"Bye." Tom chuckled.

"_Bye_."

"Right, let's go and get these marshmallows, and then get you back to where you should be." Tom said as he began walking again and Shadow began walking alongside him. Soon, they arrived at the small campsite shop where there were the basics of foods, as well as things like torches, spare batteries, inflatable pillows etc for campers. But what caught both Daniel and Ella's eyes, was the pick and mix stand with loads of different types of sweets in it.

"Oh my god! Daddy, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" Daniel begged as they stood in the shop entrance because Tom was considering what to do with Shadow.

"Hang on a minute Daniel. Excuse me, would it be possible for my dog to come in here quickly? Only, I haven't got her lead on me and I don't want her running off again." Tom asked politely.

"Yeah, that's fine." The shopkeeper smiled. "There's a bowl of water down there if she wants some." She added as he she nodded to the silver bowl by the door and funnily enough, Shadow had just began drinking from it.

"Thanks." Tom smiled gratefully.

"Daddy please can we get some?" Daniel begged as Tom picked up a pack of marshmallows, some wooden skewers, a newspaper and a bottle of orange juice and placed them on the counter.

"Do you really think mummy would let you?" Tom sighed. "I had to practically get on my hands and knees for her to let us get marshmallows." Tom added and the shopkeeper couldn't contain her amusement.

"Peas daddy?" Ella pleaded as she wrapped her arms around his neck in an attempt to hug him and then she kissed the top of his head too.

"I... But... Oh fine." Tom huffed and Daniel squealed in excitement as Tom bent down and put Ella on her own two feet. "Right, just to make this clear, you two are sharing these with mummy and daddy, _and_ each other." Tom said sternly as he bent down and picked up the smallest cup size which happened to be a large cup and he squatted with Daniel one side and Ella the other side. They spent a good five minutes filling up the cup with various different sweets and then Tom topped it with a few chunks of vanilla fudge because he knew it was Sam's favourite and hoped that it would soften her slightly. Besides, he knew that because she was on, she tended to indulge her cravings to make her feel better when she was feeling grumpy, so hopefully it would cheer her up a little bit.

"That's £7.48 please." The woman smiled as Tom placed the sealed cup on the counter along side the marshmallows, skewers, newspaper and orange juice. "Oh and I've got some colouring books here that we don't sell anymore because we've got a new supplier, would you like some? They're only going to get thrown away and sadly I can't find anyone who wants them." She offered cheerily.

"Um, yes please, that'd be great." Tom smiled and the woman put the box of books down on the floor besides Daniel who looked up at Tom for permission. "Why don't you grab two so that there's one for you and your sister?" Tom said encouragingly and Daniel did so before he went and stood behind Tom's legs; he was being uncharacteristically shy, though it was expected from Ella as she literally clung to Tom's arms in the presences of a stranger, albeit a friendly one.

* * *

"Daniel, what have I told you about not going so fast?" Sam said sternly as Daniel wheeled his bike into the awning and then came outside where Sam was cooking, using the BBQ and the firepit had a pile of wood on it, ready to be lit.

"Sorry." He apologised meaninglessly as Tom arrived just after with Ella on his shoulders again, a carrier bag in one hand and Shadow besides him.

"What're we gonna do with you eh?" Sam knelt down and made a fuss of Shadow before she sent her into the awning before she got up and noticed the heavy bag that Tom was carrying. "I thought only I sent you up there for marshmallows." Sam stared confusedly.

"You did. But then I remembered that we needed skewers so I got them, plus a newspaper to keep up to date with the news, Daniel wanted a drink so I got a bottle of orange juice, the shopkeeper gave us two free colouring books plus I may have given in to your children's persistent begging when they had seen the pick and mix stand." Tom explained before he took a deep breath.

"Mummy!' Ella proclaimed as she reached her arms out over Tom's head and Sam lifted Ella down and then held her against her chest.

"Hello." Sam smiled. "Did you pester daddy?" Sam asked and Ella looked at her father in confusion and Tom rapidly shook his head from side to side.

"Nooooo." Ella replied innocently before she laughed as Sam playfully hit Tom on the head with the newspaper.

* * *

Soon, Ella and Daniel were sat on the red tartan picnic blanket next to the fire pit - that wasn't yet lit - playing individually with their toys whilst Sam finished off their dinner on the BBQ and Tom had just gotten everything like plates and cutlery ready on the table inside because Daniel couldn't eat without making a mess unless he was sitting at a table, and Ella needed one too because she was only just getting to grips how to use a pink plastic fork after Sam or Tom had cut everything up for her.

"How're you feeling now? Okay?" Tom asked softly as he came up behind Sam and put his arms around her abdomen.

"Yeah... Thanks again, for helping me last night."

"Don't mention it. Like I said, I'm glad you're on." Tom grinned before he gently slapped Sam on the bum. "And that was for hitting me on the head earlier." Tom added before he abruptly got out of the way of Sam's hands and sat down on a folding chair with armrests.

"Mummy's on what?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"Er..."

"On chef duty so that I don't have to cook." Tom improvised quickly and Sam smiled to herself as she turned back to face the BBQ.

* * *

With the fire slowly dying but still crackling away, Sam had Ella in her lap as she sat cross legged and Tom had Daniel between his legs so that they could supervise their children closely around the small campfire. Tom was helping Daniel to roast marshmallows, whilst Ella was content with suckling away at a tangfastic dummy sweet that they had gotten in the pick and mix cup and it seemed to be lasting ages for her, though she loved the sour coating which made her pull funny faces.

"Right, this is your last marshmallow." Tom said sternly as he folded the packet over and put it on the folding chair behind him.

"But-"

"No buts. If you have any more you'll be up all night." Tom stated bluntly as Daniel held his skewer over the ashes at the edge of the fire.

"How're you doing with your sweet?" Sam asked as she looked down to see that Ella was just wiping her sticky fingers on Sam's skinny jeans which caused Daniel and Tom to chuckle. "Oh lovely." Sam said sarcastically and Ella looked up innocently which made Tom grin even more. "Where's it gone? Have you eaten it all?" Sam asked and as Ella looked up at her mother to reply, she gasped. Sam looked up out of confusion and saw the dark blue sky, illuminated by dozens and dozens of stars glistening above them. "Wow, you don't see that in Holby." Sam stated. "Here, you want to lie down? You can get a better look." Sam smiled as she laid down on her back and lifted Ella up so that she laid down on Sam's chest.

"Wow!" Daniel exclaimed as he looked up. "How many are there?" Daniel asked as he laid down besides Sam and then Tom laid down next to them on the picnic blanket so that they were all looking up at the sky.

"Well here, you can probably only see a hundred or so, but beyond the Earth's sky, there are billions and billions of stars." Tom replied.

"No way!" Daniel protested.

"Way." Tom nodded. "In fact, y'know the sun? That's a star." Tom stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Mummy." Ella mumbled.

"Yeah?" Sam replied, but she got no response. "Are you tired? Do you want to get ready for bed?" Sam asked and Ella nodded. "Right, I'm gonna get her ready for bed and then go to bed myself okay?"

"Yeah, we'll come in in a minute." Tom stated.

"Night mummy."

"Night Daniel." Sam smiled as she picked up Ella and carried her into the caravan. "We definitely need you to brush your teeth after all that sugar you've had, don't we?" Sam went and sat on the closed toilet seat lid, put Ella on her lap and got her small pink toothbrush out.

* * *

After putting Daniel to bed, both of his children were settled as was his wife so he got into bed where Sam was lying down with her eyes closed.

"Night night." Tom whispered as he kissed Sam on the cheek.

"Can we cuddle?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Yeah, sure." Tom nodded eagerly as he wrapped his arms around Sam's back and Sam entwined her legs with his and then buried her face in his chest. "Have you ever realised that whenever you're on, you're really clingy?" Tom whispered jokily to his wife.

"Sorry-" Sam began as she went to pull away but Tom clenched his legs and his arms to stop her from separating.

"No, no. It's a good thing. I like it when you're like this." Tom said reassuringly and Sam slowly relaxed in Tom's hold again.

"I'm glad you seem to be bonding a lot more with Ella." Sam admitted.

"Yeah, we just needed to spend some more time together, that's all." Tom shrugged, though if he compared his relationship with his daughter to the one he had less than a week ago, it was so much stronger. And he was amazed at the progress they had made.

"I love you." Sam mumbled.

"I love you too." Tom smiled as he kissed Sam on the top of her head and then he rested his head on the pillow that was usually his wife's however, she was using his chest as a pillow, and soon, they both drifted off into a deep slumber.

**Coming up: Just a few months into starting Year One, Daniel is sent home with a fever and a headache, but when he later develops a rash and Sam diagnoses him with chicken pox, she can't help but worry about Ella catching it...**

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	55. Chapter 55

**Monday 2nd May 2022, 11am**

With 6 year old Daniel at school, 2 year old Ella in the crèche and Sam and Tom working the ED it seemed like an ordinary day. However, one phone call was all about to change that...

"Sam, there's a Mrs Perry on the phone for you." Zoe stated with a hint of annoyance that the phone at the nurses station was being used for a personal call rather than an emergency.

"Er, right." Sam walked over and cautiously put the phone to her ear. "Mrs Perry?"

_"Hello Mrs Kent, I'm the school nurse at Holby Primary school and I'm afraid Daniel has fallen ill at school. Would it be possible for you to come and pick him up_?"

"Um..." Sam glanced around at the chaotic ED that she knew was already understaffed, especially with a lack of doctors in the department, however she decided that her son was more important than work. "Yes, sure. What are his symptoms?" Sam asked curiously.

_"He's got a headache, temperature of 38.2° and his teacher noticed that he didn't eat his snack at break time so I think lack of appetite too. It's probably just a cold coming on_." She replied and Sam had to bite her lip from snapping back about the fact that the nurse was being patronising because she probably presumed that the mother had no medical knowledge whatsoever.

"Alright, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Sam stated.

"_Okay, thank you Mrs Kent_."

"Bye." Sam put the phone down and then ran her hands over her face, but when she looked back up, she found Tom standing by her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah um, Daniel's ill at school; the nurse just phoned so I'm gonna go and pick him up and take him home." Sam replied.

"What like stomach bug or-"

"The nurse reckons it's 'just a cold'." Sam sighed.

"Right okay. Well if you text me then I can go to tescos quickly on the way home and get a couple of bits for him." Tom stated as he and Sam made their way to the nurses station.

"Don't forget to pick Ella up from the crèche." Sam said sternly as she began to get changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a top and a dark blue hoodie.

"Like I'd forget to pick my own daughter up!" Tom protested.

"You've done it before." Sam retorted.

"Only once."

"Twice." Sam corrected as she put her scrubs in the wash and her phone and keys in her pocket.

* * *

"Hey you. I hear you're not feeling very well." Sam said sympathetically as she crouched down to greet her 6 year old son whom the nurse had just walked to reception. His school uniform consisted of grey trousers, a white shirt and blue jumper. "Has he had any paracetamol?" Sam queried.

"Unfortunately, we're not allowed to give out painkillers in this school unless a parent provides them to us for a specific health condition." The nurse replied.

"Right, let's get you home and tucked up in bed. And you can have some of that nice strawberry medicine that you like." Sam said as she took Daniel's blue Velcro book bag off of him and slowly walked him out to the car. "What do you want to do when we get home?" Sam asked once he was sitting on his booster seat in the back with his seatbelt done up and she pulled out of the car park. "We could, watch a movie, read a book, have some icecream..." Sam listed.

"I'm not hungry." Daniel mumbled.

"Wow, you must be poorly if you don't want ice cream." Sam remarked. And the rest of the journey home was silent. Sam helped him out of the car and then as soon as they entered their house Daniel went upstairs whilst Sam grabbed the calpol and then she went upstairs to find him trying to take his blue jumper off. "Here, let me give you a hand. If you're feeling hot, do you just want to lie down in your pyjamas?" Sam suggested.

"Yes please." Daniel replied grumpily and so he got changed, reluctantly took some calpol and Sam left him to have a lie down for a little while whilst she decided to get on with some house chores.

* * *

**1pm**

Sam came downstairs after offering Daniel a sandwich that he only took a bite out of and then said he didn't want it, and decided to ring Tom because she knew that he would be on his lunch break.

"_Hello_?"

"Hi." Sam replied feebly.

"_How's Daniel doing_?"

"He's pretty grumpy, bless him. But I'm not sure if it's a cold or not because eyes got a headache, a fever and lack of appetite but he hasn't got a runny nose, or a sore throat."

"_Maybe we'll just have to wait and see_-"

"Mummy, I'm itchy." Daniel moaned as he stood in the doorway of the living room and he was scratching his back.

"Hang on Tom." Sam said as she put the phone on the armrest of the sofa. "Come here, let me have a look." Sam said worriedly as Daniel turned around and he slowly lifted Daniel's pyjama top off to reveal a couple of red patches on his back and upon further inspection, Sam found more similar red clusters behind his ears, on the back of his neck and on his arms. And that was without taking his pyjamas off. "This isn't a cold." Sam muttered to herself. "Okay Daniel, don't scratch yourself for me. I know you're itchy but just do as I say for now." Sam ordered sternly as she picked the phone back up. "Tom?"

"_Yep_."

"He's got chickenpox." Sam announced.

"_You sure_?"

"Yeah, it all adds up. He's got rashes all over him but I've only just noticed. God, why didn't I think of this earlier?"

_"Calm down, there's nothing you could've done to help him_." Tom stated. "_Um, just do what you can at home, maybe give him a cold bath and I'll try and get away from work and get some calamine from pharmacy and bring Ella home early too_." Tom stated as he knew that Sam would only get stressed by trying to deal with Daniel by herself without any help.

"But what if she gets it?"

"_The younger they get it, the less severe it'll be_." Tom stated. "_Maybe it's worth letting her catch it now so that we can treat them both at the same time_."

"But what about the Von Willebrand disease? If she scratches the spots and she bleeds then it might not stop."

"_Well then we can give her a small dose of clotting factor before she starts getting spotty_." Tom stated.

"I don't know Tom."

"_Well, if we bring her home then we can keep her away from Daniel for now unless you change your mind. Okay_?"

"Yeah. Okay." Sam agreed slowly.

_"I'll see you soon_."

"Bye."

* * *

**3pm**

Daniel was developing more and more spots every hour and Sam was struggling to stop him from scratching them. Even after she had cut his fingernails as short as she could without damaging them.

"Just sit still for me, and this should make you feel a bit better." Sam said as Daniel sat completely naked in the bathroom whilst Sam slowly began to rub the calamine lotion into Daniel's back using cotton wool balls both of which, Tom had brought home from work. Daniel had spots on his back, neck, face, chest, belly arms and a couple on his legs; they were everywhere.

"Sam..." Tom began as he poked his head around the door.

"Yes."

"Don't panic, but Ella has been a little bit grumpy. And I'm not sure if it's because she had to leave playtime early or not." Tom admitted.

"Well where is she?" Sam asked worriedly.

"She is currently having a wee on her potty but she was adamant that she wouldn't go unless I left the room." Tom stated as he kept on glancing out his bedroom doorway to check that Ella wasn't wandering and that she was still in their ensuite bathroom, or at least still in her parent's bedroom.

"Daddy I done!" Ella announced so Tom left Sam to it before he went back to the bathroom where Ella was standing next to her white and pink potty with her flowery dress tucked into her white tights at the front where she had pulled them up. And her brown wavy hair was up in a high ponytail to keep it out of her face.

"Well done, right. Let's sort your dress out." Tom stated as he did so. "And now, what do you need to do?" Tom asked.

"Wash hands." Ella stated confidently.

"Yep, you need to wash your hands." Tom said as he lifted Ella on to her step by the sink and he helped her to use the foamy soap that she loved to use before he lifted her down and she dried her hands on the towel. "Right, you know Daniel is ill? Well I need to check that you're not ill too so how about we go and get you changed into something a little bit more comfortable and then we can go and play downstairs?" Tom suggested as he tried to discreetly check if Ella had spots on her body too and he knew that she liked to be difficult when it came to her body because she wouldn't let Tom anywhere near her when she went to the toilet or have a bath but she tended to be a little less resistant when it came to getting changed because he always let her wear whatever she wanted to.

"Okay." She nodded as she put her hand up in the air and Tom smiled as he held her hand and walked her to her pink palace of a bedroom.

"Right, how about... This top and a pair of comfy jeans?" Tom suggested as he took a colourful checkered shirt and pair of stretchy waisted jeans out of her draws.

"Socks!"

"Yes, and socks." Tom grinned as he put the clothes on her bed and then got on his knees. He pulled her dress over her head, leaving her in just her white tights and as he got her shirt ready to put on, he looked in the corner of his eye to see that her chest and belly were perfectly normal with no redness at all. "There we go. One arm in... And the other arm in." Tom said as he put the shirt around her and then began to do up the buttons. He checked once more as he changed her into her jeans and then her socks, and thankfully there were no spots on her at all so maybe she was just in a grumpy mood.

* * *

"Daniel, list- listen to me." Sam ordered her screaming son who abruptly silenced. "I know you're in pain and I know you want to itch your spots but the more you scratch them, the longer they'll be there. Okay? If you don't scratch them, they'll go away quicker." Sam said pleadingly and thankfully, Daniel put his hands down by his sides. "Good boy. Look, I understand how you're feeling, honestly I do. But I'm doing all I can do to help you okay, there's nothing more I can do. Please just stay calm and don't cry." She begged.

"But it hurts." Daniel sobbed.

"I know it does Daniel." Sam said sympathetically. "Look you haven't had anything to eat since breakfast this morning, is there anything you want to eat? Or any drink that you want? I need Daddy to go to tescos for me so he can get you anything you want."

"Even chocolate cake?" Daniel asked.

"You can only have some chocolate cake, if you have a bit of pasta for your dinner yeah? Just plain pasta. Or you could have some cheese with it or something like that."

"Okay. Can I have some apple juice as well please?"

"Seeing as you asked so nicely." Sam smiled. "Now-

"Sam. I think you should take a look at this." Tom shouted from downstairs.

"What is it?" Sam asked worriedly as she arrived downstairs with Daniel wrapped in just a towel behind her.

"Um, I... I didn't notice it when I was dressing her because I didn't check her back, I was only at the front but it must've spread since then." Tom admitted as Ella stood in just her jeans, underwear and socks where Tom had removed her checkered shirt to reveal that on her back, she had half a dozen red blotches and there were a few on her sides too. "The good thing is that they don't seem to be bothering her." Tom added.

"I need to give her some clotting factor." Sam stated.

"Right well why don't you both sit down on the sofa for a minute and just watch TV so that me and mummy can sort something out?" Tom suggested because he knew that on the rare occasion that Sam let them watch TV, they were mesmerised by the screen and barely took any notice of the real world so Tom lifted Ella onto the sofa and Daniel got seated by himself whilst Sam went and got Ella's medication. She put the right amount in a syringe and then went and sat next to Ella on the sofa whilst she watched a bright, colourful TV show. Sam carefully put the needle into Ella's arm and injected the substance before she held a cotton wool pad over the puncture wound for a few minutes and through the entire process, Ella didn't even bat an eyelid.

"Good girl." Sam whispered as she made sure that Ella wasn't bleeding from where the needle went in before she got up. "Right," Sam began as she went over to Tom by the doorway. "We're gonna need more calamine lotion." Sam whispered. "And Daniel wants chocolate cake and apple juice." She added quietly.

"Do I have permission to go to tescos and get whatever I think will keep them happy? Because they're only going to get worse." Tom stated.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Hey, don't look so worried. They're both gonna be fine." Tom said reassuringly.

"I know... Oh, I've been meaning to ask. You have had chickenpox, right?"

"Yeah." Tom nodded. "You?"

"Yep. When I was 21. It was absolute agony." Sam murmured as she certainly didn't what her children to go through that.

"Well they're a lot younger than you were so they won't get it nearly as bad." Tom said as he rubbed Sam's arm. "Is that why you've got the tiny white scars on behind your ears?" Tom asked curiously and Sam looked at him in pure shock. "What?"

"I didn't know you knew about them." Sam admitted shyly.

"I know, you always try to cover them with your hair." Tom smirked. "Right, are you gonna be alright if I go shopping? Or do you want to go and I can stay?" Tom asked to change the subject.

"Mummy, can it go to the toilet please?" Daniel asked.

"Go on, you go shopping. I'll stay here." Sam forced a smile before she took Daniel's hand and took him to the toilet bathroom.

* * *

Tom arrived home with four shopping bags filled with things to keep his children as happy as possible as they fought off chickenpox, though he knew perfect well that they could potentially be fighting the virus for up to two weeks. As soon as Tom opened the front door, he was met with screaming and he quickly put the shopping in the kitchen before he ran upstairs to find Ella was standing in just her underwear, in the doorway to Daniel's bedroom where Daniel was crying as Sam stood helplessly besides him and she appeared distressed.

"What happened?" Tom demanded as he put a hand on Ella's should to reassure her that it was okay.

"He's still got a fever so he wanted to take his pyjamas off, but I think when I pulled it over his head, it caught one of the spots and burst it." Sam admitted exhaustedly.

"Hey, listen to me. Listen to me." Tom ordered sternly and Daniel quietened down but he was still sniffling. "When has mummy ever hurt you on purpose? Daniel." Tom prompted.

"Never." He hiccuped.

"Well then I'm sure mummy had already said sorry but you making a big fuss is going to make her feel bad. Come on, I'm sure it didn't hurt that much, plus you're scaring your sister." Tom stated and Daniel looked up to see his mother who looked upset and his sister who was frowning as she tried to understand what was going on. Tom let out a sigh of relief as Daniel began wiping his tears away with his hands before he carefully scratched a cluster of spots on it's side with his elbow. "Right, both of you are getting spottier by the minute, so I've got a game that you can play and I think it'll make you feel better." Tom stated.

"I don't think they're in the mood for playing Tom." Sam sighed.

"They will be for this game. Both of you go to mummy and daddy's bathroom, come on." Tom ordered and Ella toddled through as did Daniel leaving just Sam and Tom. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I've just got a headache." Sam admitted.

"You feel hot at all?" Tom asked worriedly as he placed the back of his hand to her forehead, but she didn't seem to have a fever.

"No, it's just PMS." Sam stated bluntly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, my chest is sore and I'm bloated aswell. I'm due on in a couple of days so I'm just gonna go and grab some paracetamol."

"No no, you go and keep an eye on the kids, I'll get your painkillers because I need to grab a couple of things from the shopping for their game." Tom stated before he went down the stairs and Sam padded into the ensuite bathroom where Daniel was scratching his arm again.

"Stop scratching yourself!" Sam protested.

"Why?" Daniel moaned.

"Because if you pick the scabs off, you'll give yourself a load of scars that'll never go away. And the more you scratch your skin, the itchier it'll get." Sam stated as she sat on the closed toilet lid and then she let Ella clamber onto her lap. Daniel was certainly covered in a lot more spots than Ella, and he was suffering more but because Ella was a third of his age, she dealt with pain worse and made just as much fuss as Daniel did, if not more.

Soon, Tom returned and Sam took paracetamol with some water before he explained the game that he had conjured up.

"Right, you two are going to play paint the dot with this white paint." Tom stated as he took out two soft makeup brushes that looked like paint brushed to the children, as well as another bottle of calamine lotion. "And whoever gets all of their spots covered first, wins." Tom explained to his children who were both in their underwear.

"But I've got way more spots." Daniel protested.

"Ah yes, but you're far better at painting than Ella is, so I reckon the odds are about even." Tom stated as he poured the white lotion into a cup that Ella used in the bath. "Right, both of you get in the bath and then we can start." Tom ordered and Sam lifted Ella into one end of the bath and stood her on her feet, and Daniel climbed into the other end. "Right, try not to get any outside of the bath. Ready, steady go!" Tom announced and quickly both children shoved their paintbrush into the cup of lotion and began brushing them all over their body. Sam and Tom smiled as they watched their children competitively dabbed the lotion all over them, and within seconds of it touching their skin, they felt the cooling sensation of it which encouraged them to continue the game. Tom looked behind him during the game to notice that Sam was massaging her temples with the tops of her fingers. "Why don't you go and have a lie down?" Tom suggested.

"No, I'm fine. Honestly." Sam forced a smile before she continued watching her children mess about.

* * *

**Thursday 5th May 2022, 1pm**

It was the fourth day after Ella and Daniel had simultaneously contracted chicken pox and thankfully, the previous day seemed to have been the very worst day (and night) of the virus as they had not been able to sleep and even several games of paint the spots hadn't made them feel any better. So Sam and Tom had had to put up with constant moaning, as well as the fact that their children had been up all night and so they weren't feeling great either. Ella and Daniel were doing one of the few things that took their mind off of the spots, watching TV, when Tom noticed that Sam had slipped away upstairs so he made sure that his children were occupied before he went upstairs too but he walked into the bedroom just as Sam was standing there with nothing on her torso whatsoever.

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's fine." Sam replied as she pulled on a black sports bra which she had changed into rather than a usual bra because it gave her more support. Tom knew that she had started her period in the night because he noticed that she had had to change her pyjama bottoms, as well as taken painkillers and now he presumed she had sore breasts too. And he knew that combined with the lack of sleep, the persistent moaning of their children and barely having enough time to sit down, everything was taking it's toll on her.

"Listen, you've been up all night I didn't see you get to sleep once." Tom admitted. "Why don't you just lie down for a while and get some rest? The kids are alright for now while they've got a film on."

"I can't. Ella won't go to the toilet with you there." Sam sighed as she pulled a shirt on over her bra.

"Well then I can wait outside while she goes. Please? No offence but you look awful Sam."

"You're not looking to great yourself. You need a shave." Sam quipped.

"I know but, I must've gotten a few hours sleep last night and I don't think you had more than an hour so you need it." Tom stated and Sam twisted her lips as she considered it.

"I might, just put my head down for an hour or two." Sam said sheepishly.

"Feel free." Tom nodded eagerly as he pulled back the duvet on her side of the bed. "Do you want me to get you your hot water bottle?" He offered.

"Er no, I'm feeling alright at the moment. But thanks." Sam smiled feebly as she got comfortable in bed and Tom pulled the duvet up to her chin.

* * *

**8:30pm**

Tom was downstairs sitting on the sofa watching the TV in the dark living room with the volume on low when he suddenly heard movement upstairs. He prayed that it wasn't one of his children who were supposed to be asleep, and he smiled when he realised that Sam was awake as she came down to join him after getting a solid 7 hours of sleep.

"Hello sleeping beauty." Tom grinned as Sam sat down besides him and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"How're Ella and Daniel?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Both of them took some Benadryl which is supposed to relieve itching, plus it made them a bit drowsy so it got them off to sleep and they've both been silent up there for about half an hour." Tom stated when suddenly, Sam's stomach grumbled.

"I am starving." Sam declared.

"I'm not surprised; you skipped breakfast and had an apple for lunch, then slept right through dinner." Tom stated bluntly. "How about we order a pizza?" He suggested.

"Nah, too greasy." Sam complained. "How about a Chinese takeaway?" Sam queried.

"Oh, that's not greasy at all!" Tom chuckled. "Yeah, sure. You pick what you want and I'll order it in a minute." Tom said as he handed Sam a menu from the small pile that was on the coffee table.

"Okay." Sam nodded as she began to look down the menu. "Are you having anything?"

"Er yeah. Just get three or four dishes and we'll share them yeah?"

"Okay." Sam nodded. Soon, they ordered and shared their late evening meal together before Sam laid on the sofa with her feet on Tom's lap as they watched the TV when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Mummy?" Both parents turned around to see Ella standing there in her purple pyjamas with the spots all over what skin they could see, especially on her face.

"Hey." Sam smiled. "Hang on, how did you get past the gates?" Sam demanded; they had a baby gate at both the top, _and_ the bottom of the stairs.

"I open 'em." Ella said disjointedly and Sam's eyes flashed open because she couldn't believe that her daughter could do that, plus she found it amusing that her daughter thought that she had done nothing wrong.

"You opened the gates, yourself?" Sam questioned out of astonishment.

"Yes." Ella nodded simply so Sam just changed the subject because she knew that Ella had meant no harm and there was no use in keeping her wrapped in bubble wrap all the time; she was going to have to start using the stairs alone sooner or later.

"Can't you sleep?" She queried.

"Hug." Ella announced as she held her arms out.

"Ella, I don't think that you should be out of-"

"No, it's fine." Sam gently interrupted Tom as she picked up Ella and lifted her on top of her. Sam laid sideways on the sofa with her knees raised and she laid Ella face down on her chest so that she could hug her daughter lightly, so she didn't cause her any unnecessary pain. However, Ella was doing that to Sam because the pressure of Ella on her abdomen was making the pain a bit worse but it was nothing that she hadn't dealt with before.

"I love you mummy." Ella mumbled into Sam's chest as she curled up.

"I love you too." Sam whispered and after a little bit of tossing and turning, Ella got comfortable and fell asleep on of top of her mother.

* * *

**Coming up: The Kent Family go on holiday in their caravan in the Scottish Highlands!**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	56. Chapter 56

**Friday 24th March 2023**

With Ella at the age of 3, and Daniel at the age of 7, the Kent Family were going on another caravan holiday during Daniel's end of term Easter break from school for two full weeks to the Scottish highlands, at a camp site in a remote area of Glencoe. It was a Friday evening and they had filled the caravan filled with food and Sam and Tom were just finishing packing their bags in their bedroom whilst their children sat in the middle of the bed between their bags.

"Do they speak another language?" Daniel asked.

"Nope. Most people speak English just like you do. But some might have an accent which means they just speak a bit differently to you." Sam replied as she saw now point in going into the whole Gaelic topic because that would only lead to more questions from their inquisitive children.

"Will Shadow like it there?" Daniel asked.

"And Panda? And Alex?" Ella added.

"Yeah, the dogs will love it there. There's plenty of space for them to run around and we're going to take them for lots of nice walks." Tom replied.

"How long is the car journey?" Daniel asked.

"Seven and a half hours." Sam replied.

"How long?!" Daniel shrieked. "But that's ages!"

"Yes, but you and Ella can sleep for a while and you have both got a bag each that me and Dad have packed with plenty of things to do, and there's a couple of snacks in there too. But don't worry, we'll stop on the way there to get lunch somewhere." Sam explained.

"But what if I need a wee? I don't think I can hold it that long." Daniel admitted shyly.

"Neither can me or dad." Sam laughed. "We'll stop every couple of hours to stretch our legs anyway. Just tell us when you need to go and we'll stop at the next services."

"What 'bout potty?" Ella moaned.

"Your potty, is coming with us. Don't you worry." Tom said reassuringly.

* * *

**Saturday 25th March 2023, 4:30pm**

After a long, exhausting drive the Kent Family had arrived at their campsite in Glencoe, Scotland, but they were yet to set up their caravan and all they wanted to do was have an afternoon nap before dinner.

"Can't we just sleep in the car tonight?" Sam sighed, as even though they hadn't done much, the 7 1/2 hour car journey had been knackering.

"Nope. Right come on, if we do it as quickly as we can, then we can go to sleep and not have to worry about doing anything later." Tom said sleepily as he rubbed his eyes before he got out of the car. He disconnected the caravan from the car, before Sam drove it to the car park after the kids and dogs had gotten out. She returned to Tom putting the legs of the caravan down to make it sturdy for them to go in. Once the legs were down and the electricity was connected, Tom opened the caravan door. "Right, do you two want to have a lie down for a while?" Tom suggested.

"Mmhmm." Daniel replied and Ella gave a small nod so Tom got out their pillows and duvets from under the sofas in storage, and after making up their beds, he tucked them both in and it didn't take long for them to go to bed.

"We've still got to put the awning up." Sam said quietly as she wondered if Tom was going to get into bed.

"I know but I thought it'd be best to let them get their heads down first." Tom replied and Sam smiled at his thoughtfulness before they set about putting the awning up.

* * *

**6pm**

After getting his head down for an hour or so, Tom slowly opened his eyes to see Sam standing by the small kitchen in the middle of the caravan whilst his children were sat up at the table with their duvets wrapped around them. When he had laid down in the double bed, his wife had been besides him, but she had presumably woken first without waking him up.

"Hello sleepy head. Decided to join us, have you?" Sam joked as Tom sat up and then rubbed his eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" Tom croaked.

"Not long. I just thought I'd get dinner done so that we won't get hungry in the night, and then after they can read a book or whatever until they fall asleep again." Sam replied.

"What are we having for dinner?" Tom asked.

"Toasted cheese and ham sandwiches with some salad. If you want to sit at the table, this is nearly done." Sam stated and Tom got up and sat on one of the sofas next to Ella, leaving Sam to sit next to Daniel when she was finished cooking. V

"It's beautiful around here, isn't it?" Tom smiled as he looked out of the windows at the hilly surroundings without a skyscraper in sight. They were in a small field with various tents and the odd caravan dotted around on the pitched but there was plenty of room and all that surrounded them was more and more fields.

"It smells nicer." Daniel stated.

"That's because there's lots of fresh air."

"I tired." Ella announced grumpily as she leant on Tom's arm with her pink princess duvet still wrapped around her shoulders.

"I know. But if you have dinner now, then after this you can sleep for as long as you want." Tom stated as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Where are the dogs?" Tom asked curiously.

"They are in the awning, sleeping." Sam stated.

"It's a hard life being a dog isn't it?" Tom said sarcastically. "All you have to do is eat, drink, wee, poo and sleep."

"But that's that all _you_ do." Sam retorted and Daniel giggled. "Right, toasted cheese and ham sandwiches, but be careful they're hot." Sam warned as she picked up a plate with a mound of steaming toasties quartered into triangles and squares on it and she placed it in the middle before she grabbed the bowl of salad, put that on the table too and then sat down to join the family.

"There you go, you've got one of each shape." Tom said as he put a triangle and a square onto Ella's plate for her along with a handful of salad leaves. "Just let them cool down a bit." He added as he stopped Ella from grabbing it immediately and Ella frowned as she sat back in her seat and waited patiently.

"Right tonight we're just going to relax and you can watch a movie if you want to, and then tomorrow I think we should walk the dogs and have a picnic somewhere nice and quiet." Sam said.

"Can I take my bike?" Daniel asked.

"Only if you behave, don't go too quickly and stay close by." Sam said sternly.

"I will." Daniel nodded.

"Can I eat now?" Ella moaned as she sat up properly and stuffed her duvet behind her.

"Yes." Tom chuckled and Ella grinned before she began nibbling away at the edges of her toastie.

* * *

"Sam?" Tom said through the bathroom door as his wife was taking a shower in the surprisingly spacious but cozy rectangular bathroom with the shower (which was the full width of the bathroom) in the corner, a toilet at the other end of the room and the sink against the wall in the middle.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"Ella needs a wee. Can she come in?" Tom asked as he looked down at his daughter who was crossing her legs as she stood in her pink pyjamas. Usually if someone needed the toilet and someone else was in the shower, then they would go to the toilet block on the camping site however Ella wouldn't go to the toilet until she was sitting on her pink potty which they even had to take to the crèche when they went to work so that she would go. That and the fact that she would have to go in the men's toilets with Tom which she hated doing.

"Yeah, sure. The door's unlocked." Sam stated and so Tom opened the door towards him and let Ella slip inside; he knew his daughter wouldn't go if he was in the room so he knew Sam would have to make sure that Ella was okay and washed her hands properly. Tom waited for a few more minutes and he was about to knock on the door to check that everything was alright when the door opened and Ella came out, as well as his towel clad wife.

"Ella's left you a present in her potty, go and empty it." Sam whispered to her husband jokily and Tom huffed as he went into the bathroom whilst Sam went over to where Ella was clambering back into her bed (which was the sofa during the day) and Daniel, who was also in bed, watched a Disney film on the TV that stood on the kitchen sideboard. "That's it, good girl." Sam smiled as Ella got comfortable whilst Sam kept a firm hold of the black towel around her body with her wet hair dangling over her back and shoulders. Suddenly, Shadow and Panda jumped up at the end of Ella's bed and curled up - there was plenty of room for the 3 year old and the dogs because the single bed was adult sized - whilst Alex got on the end of Daniel's bed.

"Night mummy." Ella mumbled as she laid on her side with her head on her pillow as she faced the TV that was a couple of meters away from her with the intention of watching the film, but Sam knew that her daughter wouldn't last ten minutes as she would probably fall asleep soon.

"Night night." Sam whispered as she held the towel title against her chest and bent down and kissed Ella on the forehead. "How long has the film got left?" Sam asked her son.

"It's nearly at the end." Daniel replied quickly as he didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"Alright, well once that's finished it's bedtime." Sam said sternly before she walked away and grabbed her pyjamas. She went into the bathroom to get changed where she found Tom wiping the potty with an antibacterial wipe. Sam squeezed past him and dropped her towel to get changed when she suddenly felt Tom's arms around her naked body and he kissed the back of her neck.

"If it weren't for the kids, I'd say leave that off." Tom whispered as he pulled her strapless bra up on her properly and then did it up at the back for her before he wrapped his arms around her abdomen again.

"And even if the kids weren't here, I'd ignore you." Sam retorted. "I hate not wearing a bra. Besides I'm too tired for anything that you're implying." Sam added as she pulled her clean underwear up; she also hated sleeping without underwear on and felt uncomfortable without them.

"You seriously don't look like you've had two kids." Tom said as he stood in awe and appreciated the temple that was his wife's body.

"Really? I think my gynaecologist would say otherwise if he had a look between my legs." Sam retorted.

"I'm being serious." Tom protested quietly as he playfully slapped her bum. "You look exactly the same as you did 7 years ago except your hair is a few inches longer where you've grown it and your breasts are bigger. Both of which I see as bonuses." Tom smiled. "Ah, see? I saw that little cheeky grin you're trying to hide." Tom smirked and Sam hid her face by turning around as she pulled her top on. "I love you." Tom whispered as he kissed Sam behind the ear where her tiny white chickenpox scars were.

"Meh, I kinda like you too." Sam joked. "Now get out, I need a wee." Sam ordered and Tom left the bathroom, only to find that both of his children were fast asleep as there was soft music playing in the background as the credits of the film rolled down the TV screen. He switched the TV off and then got into bed where he was joined by his wife just minutes later.

"How about tomorrow evening, we have a fire to keep up warm, and sit outside with a glass of wine each?" Tom suggested.

"Only if we can have a lie in in the morning because I'm really tired." Sam mumbled as she snuggled her face into Tom's chest and entwined her legs with his.

"Listen, I've been meaning to speak to you about our family." Tom began.

"What about our family?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Well you said when you was pregnant with Ella, ask me after I've have this baby whether I want another one or not." Tom stated and Sam realised what he had been thinking about.

"I'm sorry, but unless you really want another baby I don't think we will have one." Sam replied quietly. "It's just, I'm 37, and then there's the whole worry with having a child that could have Von Willebrand disease, or be a carrier. And the possi. I'd just be too worried Tom and besides, I'm happy with what we've got now."

"I'm happy too, I was just wondering." Tom said as he rested his chin on the top of Sam's head. "So what would you do if you accidentally fell pregnant?" Tom asked curiously.

"I don't know, that's different." Sam shrugged.

"But you would tell me, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Sam nodded, though she began to think in her mind as to whether she actually would or not. Then again, she realised that she probably wouldn't be able to go through an abortion without needing Tom for support so she concluded that she probably would tell him. "Night." Sam mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight." Tom replied as he settled down for the night.

* * *

**Sunday 26th March 2023, 8:30pm**

After a nice long walk and a picnic during the day, Sam and Tom had put their children to bed in the caravan, and they were sitting just outside the awning on a picnic blanket on the grass, just a metre away from a small cracking fire that was keeping them warm as they each sipped a glass of wine.

"You know I said about how I wanted us to put £10,000 aside from the lottery money so that we could take the kids to disneyworld?" Sam began.

"Yeah."

"Well I was thinking,"

"What have I told you about doing that?" Tom joked and Sam playfully nudged him with her elbow before she continued.

"What would you say, about splashing the cash big time, and going to America for a whole four weeks?" Sam asked apprehensively.

"And do what?" Tom questioned.

"Well we could, spend 2 weeks in a Disney resort, go to all the parks, sea world and things like that. And then for another two weeks, we could stay in another hotel for one week in somewhere like Miami and then spend the fourth week in Tampa or Key West. We could do so many activities and I think that the kids would really benefit from it. We could do it in the summer holidays and we've still got over £2,000,000 in our bank so money isn't a problem. Please?" Sam asked as she fluttered her eyelids at him.

"This is probably the wine talking, but yeah. Sure." Tom nodded and Sam grinned as she climbed onto his lap, wrapped her legs around his waist and began passionately snogging her husband. They continued for a few moments before they both pulled away for air. "You do realise that our kids could come outside at any moment right?" Tom joked.

"You do realise I finished my period a couple of days ago so I'm as horny as I'll ever be right?" Sam retorted mockingly as she linked her fingers together at the back of his neck.

"So you're horny on the days after your period?" Tom queried and Sam nodded. "Well then, I'll have to pay more attention to the calendar on your phone from now on!" Tom smirked before Sam planted her lips on his again and they began making out. Eventually, they both pulled apart because they knew that they had no chance of trying to make love without fearing that their children would wake for the toilet or something. Plus they were outside where a few other families and elderly couples were sitting outside their tents or caravans so they definitely couldn't even try it.

"We could always drag this picnic rug into the awning and make love in there." Sam suggested. "No one will be able to see us and we'll keep the caravan door shut so the kids won't hear."

"You really are in a good mood aren't you?" Tom grinned. "But we haven't got any protection." Tom stated as, to the best of his knowledge, they hadn't brought anything because they would be sleeping in the same room as their children and hadn't planned for such activities.

"Yes we have."

"Where?" Tom protested.

"There's a box of condoms in the same cupboard as my underwear and stuff, and it's tucked inside one of my thick socks. I brought it just in case." Sam replied bluntly.

"Well then. I'll be right back." Tom smirked and Sam stood up so that Tom could creep into the caravan whilst she pulled the picnic blanket into the awning and laid it down on the rug that they already had in there. Sam had just stood up when Tom rapidly spun her around by her shoulders and planted his lips onto hers once more.

"I take it you found them then." Sam joked quietly after they'd pulled apart. "This isn't just gonna be a quickie is it?" Sam pouted.

"We can make love, for as long as you want." Tom said softly as he put one arm around her back and the other onto the picnic blanket as he slowly lowered them down on the floor with Sam underneath him. "But as long as you're quiet." He added cheekily and Sam smiled as she began to unbuckle his belt...

* * *

**Monday 27th March 2023, 8am**

The next morning, Sam and Tom were in very good moods. Not just because of what they had gotten up to during the previous night, but also because it was Monday morning and neither had work. And because of their good moods, they were up early, as were the kids because they had always been early birds rather than night owls even when they were babies, and they were out on the grassy field next to their caravan kicking a foam football around. At 7 years old, Daniel was getting pretty good with his aim of the ball as well as using a lot of power, however Ella was yet to discover the talent of targeting - all she did was kick it as hard as she could and it often resulted in her falling backwards, missing the ball, or both.

"Dad!" Daniel shouted to get his attention as he prepared to kick the ball.

"No, it's Ella's turn. Kick it towards her, but gently." Tom ordered and Daniel rolled his eyes before he gave the ball a nudge so that it rolled against the grass and stopped in front of his sister.

"Go on Ella, kick it as hard as you can." Sam said encouragingly as she knew that her daughter couldn't hit it very hard, plus it was only a foam ball so it wouldn't break anything. Ella toddled forward and booted the ball which Tom managed to receive and control however, as expected, she fell backwards but Sam was there to catch her under the arms and lift her back onto her feet so she giggled. "Did you kick that a little bit too hard?" Sam asked as she stood behind her daughter.

"Nooo." Ella gave a big shake of her head before she walked over and picked up a tennis ball that the dogs liked.

"No, please don't start that." Sam moaned quietly but it was too late, the dogs had seen the ball and Shadow, Panda and Alex, who were all chained up to a 10m lead with a post in the ground to stop them from running off, jumped up.

"Fetch." Ella said cleverly as the threw the ball towards them, and she could only say the word fetch well because Sam had been trying to get her to say Fletch for months however she would never pronounce the 'L'. And because of that, when she tried to say 'fly', it sounded like she was saying 'thigh'. The ball was thankfully within the range of their leads and they all roled about as they played with the ball between them which made Ella giggle. But suddenly, the laughing stopped and Sam watched as Ella's denim blue shorts went darker and then liquid came trickling down her legs and onto the grass.

"Mummy." Ella mumbled as her bottom lip quivered and Sam quickly ran the short distance to her.

"It's okay, it's just an accident." Sam said reassuringly as she knew how upset her daughter got whenever she had a mishap with her potty training. "Are you finished or do you still need to go?" Sam asked.

"Finished." Ella muttered ashamedly.

"Alright. Come on, let's go and get you cleaned up and changed into something dry." Sam smiled as she put a hand on Ella's shoulder and walked her back to their awning. "Right, take your shoes and socks off." Sam ordered as she crouched down so that she was Ella's level. Ella took her Velcro shoes off and then her wet socks as well but Sam wanted to cheer her little girl up because she didn't like seeing her so disheartened. "How about after we get you changed, we get you some juice in your favourite high school musical cup?"

"But I been naughty." Ella frowned.

"It's not naughty to have an accident. Because an accident isn't anyone's fault, and I know you wouldn't wet yourself on purpose so you're not in trouble. Come on, you know that; I never get mad at you if you have an accident." Sam said as she rubbed her hands up and down Ella's arms. "Right, come on. Pull your shorts and knickers down and then go through to the bathroom and I'll give you a quick rinse down in the shower." Sam ordered gently.

"But people might see." Ella protested.

"Not if you're super quick, they won't." Sam replied and so Ella pulled down her shorts and underwear as fast as she could before she hopped into the awning where she felt safer and knew Daniel and her father wouldn't be able to see her. "Good girl." Sam praised as she picked up Ella's wet clothes and followed her through to the bathroom. She put the clothes in the sink, grabbed the shower head and knelt down on the shower mat so that she could hose off her daughter's lower half. She noticed the small grey/purple mark on one of her daughter's knees, and it was a simple, yet worrying reminder of the Van Willebrand disease and now easily her daughter bruised. Even picking Ella up too roughly could give her bruises under her arms, even if she didn't feel pain at the time if the injury.

"It's cold!" Ella squealed as she squeezed to one side of the shower whilst Sam ran the water down the other side until it warmed up.

"Sorry. There we go, that should be warm enough now." Sam smiled as she sprayed it on Ella's legs and Ella squirmed a little bit but she let Sam rinse her skin. "Right. Are you going to be a big girl and dry yourself?" Sam asked as she put the shower head back in it's holder and then grabbed Ella's pink hooded towel.

"Yes." Ella nodded as she took the towel off of her mother.

"Okay, you stay there. I'm just going to get you some clean trousers." Sam stated as she stood up.

"And knickers." Ella added quickly.

"And some knickers, yes." Sam smiled as she left the room. After getting Ella changed into a clean pair of underwear and stretchy jeans, Sam knew that her daughter was still a little down. "Do you know what I think might cheer you up? A nice big hug." Sam stated as she held her arms out and Ella reached her arms up so Sam lifted Ella up and hugged her with one arm and kept the other arm under her bum to support her weight. "You feeling better?" Sam queried as Ella pulled apart and she nodded.

"Thank you mummy."

"You're welcome." Sam smiled. "Now let's get you some nice apple juice in your favourite cup."

* * *

**7pm**

The sun was beginning to set outside and so there was a warm orange glow to the caravan as the family sat on the sofas with the table in between them sons they prepared to play a game of Simpsons monopoly. Ella was far too going to understand such a game, but Daniel was getting very good at playing it and it had become his favourite game so Ella often teamed up with one of her parents, and they played as a game of three.

"Ella, do you want to play with me or daddy?" Sam asked as Daniel and Tom set up the board along with the bank whom Sam was always in charge of because neither Tom nor Daniel could be trusted not to cheat.

"Um... I don't know." Ella admitted as she appeared in deep though about the very important decision.

"I think mummy will have enough to deal with being the banker, so how about you come with me? Tom suggested. "We can be the donut. And I'll let you practice your excellent maths skills and move the donut around the board." Tom stated as he picked up the small metal donut used as a playing counter as part of the game which was entirely themed for the Simpsons including dollars for money and places like the 'Kwik-E-Mart' for the properties.

"Yeah!" Ella nodded eagerly.

"Right Daniel, you swap sides with Ella then. In fact, it'll be easier if we swap." Tom said to his wife and so he and Sam swapped so that Tom and Ella were on the same side and Sam and Daniel were on the same side. Everyone was in their pyjamas and Ella was cuddling her duvet because she was on the sofa that she slept on at night, and it even had a plastic sheet over it, which was covered by a blanket, just in case Ella had an accident in the night. "Right, let's get this game started." Tom announced.

* * *

"Shall we call it a night now?" Tom suggested as, after playing for 30 minutes, Ella had fallen asleep cuddling her duvet and leaning on her father whilst Daniel had begun to yawn frequently.

"But we don't know who won." Daniel protested sleepily.

"Right, whoever has the most money right this moment wins this game." Tom stated as he knew that his son had the most.

"$428." Sam stated.

"$1435." Tom stated smugly.

"$1721." Daniel smiled. "What do I win?" He asked.

"The satisfaction that you are way better at playing monopoly than your mother is." Tom grinned as the began to pack the things away into the box. "Right, it's bedtime now." Tom said softly as he moved the table out of the way, as they always did in the night to give Ella and Daniel some more room to get out of bed if they needed to, before Sam and Tom got up so that the children had their full beds. Tom gently manoeuvred Ella around until she was lying on her back and tucked under her duvet with her head on her pillow, and Daniel got into his bed too, but laid on his side.

"Night night. See you in the morning." Sam said softly as she kissed Daniel on the forehead.

"Night." Daniel mumbled and Sam and Tom went and got into bed too before they drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Coming up: The Kent Family go bowling and it's boys vs girls! Whoever wins will chose where they will eat out for dinner, but who will triumph?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	57. Chapter 57

**Friday 12th May 2023**

After a long week of work, school and the crèche, the Kent Family were going for a few games of bowling together at their local bowling alley and it was no surprise that all four were excited about it because each were just as competitive as each other.

"Are you sure you're not shaken up about earlier?" Tom asked his wife concernedly as mere hours ago he had watched a drunken, obese patient pin her up against the wall and then Tom had been the one to rip him off of her wife because the patient's weight had been too much for even Sam to override. Tom was driving the car and they were almost at their destination.

"Honestly, I'm fine." Sam replied. "And it's all thanks to you." She added softly as she put her hand on his thigh which caused 3 year old Ella and 7 year old Daniel to moan.

"You're disgusting." Daniel groaned as he covered his eyes.

"I touched his leg." Sam protested innocently as she saw no issue with what she had done.

"Right, who reckons we should do boys vs girls?" Tom suggested to change the subject.

"But mummy's really good." Daniel moaned.

"Yes but my amazing pro skills balance out the skills of your three year old sister so we're even." Sam stated bluntly though Ella was none the wiser to the small insult so she carried on playing with her teddy bear.

"Well what do the winners get?" Daniel asked.

"They get... To chose where we go out for dinner after this." Tom stated.

"Buffy!" Ella proclaimed.

"You mean the Indian buffet?" Sam queried as she turned around and Ella eagerly nodded. She knew that her daughter loved buffets because she got to have little bits on her plate of lots of different types of food rather than just a meat, vegetables and a side like usual and Sam hadn't been near a Chinese buffet since she'd gotten food poisoning from one when she was pregnant with Ella - it was enough to put her off for life. "Alright, if me and Ella win, we can go to the Indian buffet." Sam concluded and Ella smiled.

"And if me and daddy win, we go to Frankie and Benny's." Daniel stated.

"Deal." Sam nodded as Tom pulled up in a parking space. They went into the building and got their bowling shoes before they went over to their lane and sat down on the seats to change into their shoes.

"Do we want the bumpers up at the side?" Tom asked.

"Definitely." Sam nodded as she knew that without them, both Daniel and Ella (and most likely, Tom too) had very little chance of actually getting to the end of the lane without going into the gutter. "Let's get these on for you." Sam stated as she squatted down in front of Ella where her legs were dangling off of the seat, and she put her tiny bowling shoes on properly.

* * *

"I can't believe it." Sam muttered under her breath as she looked up at the screen where Daniel and Tom's screen was just 4 points higher than Ella's and her own points - Sam had helped Ella with every shot by carrying her ball for her and helping Ella to use the metal ramp for her to push the ball down. However, despite the loss of that game, the Kent Family had paid for two games of bowling, and Sam and Ella had won the previous one so that meant it was a draw.

"Don't feel too ashamed." Tom said smugly.

"What? By losing to a cheater?" Sam quipped.

"In what way did I cheat?" Tom protested.

"In the way that you took Daniel's last go to make sure that you knocked down at last five pins to beat me and Ella." Sam said sternly.

"Well yeah but... I only took his go, I wouldn't call that cheating." Tom shrugged. "So what do we go for dinner? Because I really can't be bothered to play another game." Tom asked.

"Um... Maybe we could compromise?" Sam suggested.

"Which means?" Tom queried.

"Well Ella only wants a Indian buffet because she likes having lots of different bits to pick at. So if we got a few dishes in Frankie and Benny's and shared them between all four of us, then she can have lots of different types of foods, and Daniel gets to eat where he wanted." Sam explained.

"Well you're gonna have to talk Ella round." Tom stated and Sam rolled her eyes before she went and knelt down in front of her daughter so that she was the same height as her.

"Right, how would you like it if we go to Franky and Bennie's, but we all share a few meals so that you can have various bits and pieces?" Sam queried.

"But I like chips." Ella said disappointedly and Sam couldn't help but smile at the fact that Ella's favourite part of a Indian meal was, in fact the chips that they had for fussy eaters!

"Well we can order some chips at Franky and Bennie's for you." Sam stated. "And, if your a good girl, I'll even let you get a pudding to have after it. So? What do you say?" Sam asked.

"Okay." Ella nodded. "Can I go for a wee please?" Ella asked innocently.

"Yeah, sure." Sam smiled as she stood up and took Ella's hand in hers. "We're just gonna go to the toilet quickly okay? Meet you by the car?" Sam said to her husband and son.

"Yeah sure." Tom nodded so Sam walked her daughter over to the toilets where they had to go in the disabled one because there was more room; Ella still only liked going in her potty and wasn't keen on 'big' toilets, but she would manage to go in them if Sam was holding her under her arms so that she felt safe that she wouldn't fall in.

* * *

"Enjoy your meal." The waiter smiled before he walked away leaving the Kent Family in a both for four with their table completely covered. There was a pint of beer for Tom, a glass of joke for Sam and two fruit shoots for their children. Along with a meat feast pizza meal, a mixed grill meal, a full rack of ribs meal, and side of macaroni cheese and a corn on the cob which Ella liked to nibble at because they decided that three adult sized meal with a few sides would be enough to suffice the needs of a family of four with a toddler and young child.

"Right, I suppose I'd better cut the rack of ribs up for you, eh?" Sam smiled at her daughter as she picked up the sharp knife and a fork that she had been given for them whilst Tom used the other sharp knife and a fork given to cut up the rump steak, bacon steak, sausage and half a roast chicken on the mixed grill plate into smaller pieces - they certainly had enough food between them. "And for the record, if we have a tie again, then next time Ella gets to chose where we eat." Sam added.

"Who said we were going bowling again?" Tom questioned.

"Well I thought we could do it more often. We hardly ever go and it's a nice night out to have dinner after."

"Yeah right. You just want more opportunities to beat me." Tom scoffed.

"I never said I didn't." Sam quipped as she placed a chip in her mouth.

* * *

**Saturday 13th May 2023, 8am**

The next day had turned out to be quite sunny so despite it being rather early, Ella was already out in the garden playing in her sandbox, and Daniel was kicking his football around whilst Sam and Tom sat at a table on the decking, looking at their iPad as they quietly discussed their one month disney holiday that they didn't want the kids to find out about yet because they wanted it to be a surprise.

"I think, we should do it not next summer, but the summer after so in 2025. Because then Ella will be 5, Daniel will be 9, and I reckon Ella will be old enough to enjoy everything and remember some of it when she's older." Sam stated.

"Yeah okay." Tom nodded as he sat with a notepad and pen so that they could get a rough estimate of the costs of their holiday, which wasn't an issue at all, they just wanted to know how much they would be spending. "Right, first of all, let's find out the costs of the seats." Tom stated and so Sam began to google them.

"Well Ella will need her own seat by then, so it'll be two adults and two children from any UK airport, to Orlando International Airport." Sam said as she filled out the details on a search engine for flights and then waited for the results. "You do realise that we'll be spending nearly 12 hours in the air with two kids and we're going to have to entertain them right?" Sam queried as she scrolled through the results.

"Yeah. Although we'll have to get Ella using a proper toilet by then because I don't think there'll be room in an aircraft toilet for her potty." Tom said quietly.

"She will do, she'll have to anyway because she'll have had her first year at school by the time we go." Sam stated. "Right, British Airways flights in August would cost approximately £2264." Sam stated.

"Each?!" Tom protested.

"No! For all four of us, and that's return tickets." Sam laughed.

"Oh right."

"They'll probably change by the time we can book them and we can't book now because you can only book so far ahead but it doesn't hurt to see what the price will be roughly." Sam stated. "Right, now how about we go through the Disney website to book a holiday, but we just go as far as we can without paying to see the costs?" Sam suggested.

"Yep, okay." Tom nodded. "So we'll want to see what it costs for a two week holiday excluding the fight won't we?"

"Yeah, just the accommodation, tickets for the parks and things like that." Sam stated.

* * *

After calculating the costs of what was going to be incredible one month holiday that was just over two years away, Sam and Tom relaxed in the garden whilst their children played around, when Ella suddenly ran up to Sam.

"Mummy, I need a wee." Ella announced.

"Alright, come on then." Sam smiled and she followed her daughter to the downstairs toilet - there were three pink potties in the house, all identical to each other, in Sam and Tom's ensuite, the upstairs family bathroom and the downstairs one too. Sam closed the door behind her before she gave Ella a suggestion. "Why don't you use the normal toilet?"

"Noooo!" Ella whined.

"Come on, look. I promise you won't fall in Ella. You can use the step to get up, sit on the toilet and have a wee, in exactly the same way that you would on your potty." Sam pleaded and Ella looked between the potty and the big toilet before she carefully climbed up onto the white step in front of the toilet. "Good girl." Sam smiled as she undid Ella's sparkly belt and then let her little girl pull down her trousers and underwear. "Do you want me to lift you on there?" Sam asked as she didn't want to expect too much of her daughter first time. Ella nodded so Sam lifted Ella under her arms and placed her towards the front of the toilet seat so that she could lean forward and not fall in.

"No, mummy hold me!" Ella ordered once Sam had left go and Ella held her arms out but Sam stood still and didn't approach her.

"Ella, Ella listen to me. Look, you're sitting on the toilet all by yourself." Sam smiled. "See, it's not scary is it? Look, you've seen me go to the toilet loads and I've never fallen in have I?"

"No." Ella mumbled.

"Well then, just have a wee and then you'll be all done. And you can use the toilet like a big girl." Sam praised. "Plus, I might just find you a sweet in the cupboard for being so brave." Sam added and thankfully, Ella used the toilet, wiped herself and then stood up and pulled her underwear and trousers up. "Now, you get to flush the toilet as well." Sam said encouragingly as she did up her daughter's belt and Ella turned around and pushed the handle down. "See? Now you never have to use the potty like a little child anymore, you're a big girl." Sam stated as Ella stepped down and then washed her hands in the sink.

* * *

Both of their kids were asleep and Sam and Tom had just passionately made love to each other in their bed before they slipped into the shower together to rinse off.

"I keep on thinking that I hear a knock at the door." Sam admitted.

"They're not gonna get up; their both asleep. Besides, the door is locked so they can't get in anyway." Tom replied reassuringly as he caressed his hands up and down Sam's sides when something belonging to her husband caught her eye.

"I thought you'd already calmed down." Sam teased as she pushed her flat abdomen against his.

"I had, but how am I supposed to stay relaxed, when I've got your naked body in front of me?" Tom said slowly yet sexily as he cupped his hands on her bum.

"So you're up for round two?" Sam questioned.

"Have you just finished your period or something?" Tom joked. "Because we've had sex for the last 4 day in a row and you still want more."

"Well I don't see you complaining." Sam quipped as she placed her hands on his chest. "Please? Besides, we wouldn't have to get undressed." Sam smiled.

"Well seeing as you asked so nicely." Tom grinned before he planted his lips on hers and they made love to each other again.

* * *

Tom kept his arms wrapped around his wife as they both tried to control their rapid breathing after they had both simultaneously reached a climax with their hearts pounding in their chests. But of course, because Sam had come off of the pill ages ago because she kept on forgetting to take it, Tom had had to pull out because they had both agreed that they didn't want a third child.

"I love you." Tom whispered as he kissed Sam on the top of her wet head of hair and then he rested his chin on the top of her head because they were the perfect height for each other.

"I... I love you too." Sam panted happily as she kissed his chest and then closed her eyes to conserve energy.

"Come on, let's go and get into bed." Tom said softly as his kissed her hair once more before he turned the shower off. He stepped out, dried himself with a towel and then wrapped it around his waist before he got Sam's towel and wrapped it around her as she stepped out onto the bathroom mat.

"Thanks." Sam smiled as she squeezed the excess water out of her hair into the shower basin and then followed her husband through to their bedroom. Tom just pulled on a pair of boxers and then jumped in bed, by which time Sam had brushed her hair and put on a black bra and underwear but she couldn't be bothered to put her pyjamas on so she just pulled on one of Tom's shirts. It was a red checkered one and she couldn't be bothered to button up the shirt that just about covered her bum so she pulled the material together and got into bed with her back facing Tom so that they could spoon and he could cuddle her from behind.

"I do believe that that is my shirt." Tom whispered. "Plus, you forgot to turn the light out." He added and Sam huffed in annoyance. "I'll get it." Tom stated as he reluctantly got out of bed and switched the light off before he got back into bed and entwined his bare legs with Sam's. "Night night." Tom whispered as he kissed the back of Sam's cheekbones which gave her goosebumps.

"Night." Sam smiled with her eyes closed before they both drifted off into the land of dreams...

* * *

**Coming up: Tom looks after Sam when she's not feeling great, and they finally decide to book their one month Holiday to America.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	58. Chapter 58

**Friday 7th April 2023, 7pm**

"Will you stop bouncing about like you're going to wet yourself?" Tom laughed at his 4 year old daughter's behaviour because Tom had just carried the second large, heavy cardboard box into the back garden which contained various parts for a brand new trampoline that Sam and Tom had bought.

"But... But..."

"But you're excited?" Tom suggested.

"Yeah!" Ella nodded.

"Well the longer you're out here, the more likely you are to distract me. And if you distract me, then it's going to take longer for me to put it together." Tom stated. "Go on, go inside and play with mummy and Daniel for a while and I'll call you out here as soon as it's finished." Tom ordered and so Ella skipped into the house and into the living room where Sam was polishing the coffee table and the 8 year old Daniel was reluctantly cleaning up the toys and putting them into the toy box.

"I told you daddy wouldn't need a helping hand." Sam laughed as her grumpy daughter toddled into the room. "Here, you sit down. I'm nearly finished." Sam said as she put the cloth down and then lifted her daughter onto the sofa.

"Mummy, what's this?" Daniel asked curiously as he stood with a small wooden box with paw prints on it.

"Don't touch that!" Sam ordered as she jumped over and grabbed it out of his clumsy little hands. "I'm sorry, okay. But this this very precious and I don't want you touching it." Sam let out a sigh of relief once she had it in her hands.

"But what is it?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"It's Zoe's ashes." Sam stated but Daniel was still confused so Sam lifted Daniel onto the sofa next to his sister and then crouched down on the carpet. "When pets, or people, die, you can either bury their body, or you can have them cremated, which basically means burnt and then you get their ashes, which is just like the powder you get at the bottom of a fire, but it's the ashes of your loved one. This box, has Zoe's ashes in it." Sam explained.

"Who's Zoe?" Daniel asked.

"Well you know that Panda and Alex are Shadow's puppies, well they're not puppies anymore, but Shadow is their mum. Shadow had another little girl called Zoe, but she was put down because she..." Sam trailed off as she felt her eyes watering at the sad memory. "Zoe was a very brave dog and she died for being a very, very loyal friend." Sam smiled sadly as she remembered that Zoe had been put down after being called 'vicious' for protecting Daniel when he was very young, from another dog.

"But why do you keep them?" Daniel asked.

"Because Zoe was a part of out family. And I wanted to keep her close." Sam stated. "I keep her ashes on the fireplace, so that whenever I see the box, I remember how brave she was." Sam stated as she put the box back in its place. "I don't want either of you touching that box okay?" Sam said sternly and Ella shook her head in reply.

"I won't." Daniel stated.

* * *

"Right, who's going on first?" Tom shouted through the house and suddenly, Daniel and Ella appeared out of nowhere, closely followed by Sam as they went out to the garden where, at the side of the grassy area was a large circular trampoline with a net around it for safety.

"Me! Me! Me!" Both of the kids shouted but Tom stood in the way of the ladder and zip in the net where they could climb on.

"I don't know, mummy who do you think should get to go first?" Tom asked.

"Me." Sam replied bluntly.

"Let me rephrase that, which of the _kids_ should go on first?" Tom queried.

"Well before you announced that this was finished, Ella asked to go to the toilet so Daniel can go first while I take her to the bathroom." Sam stated.

"Muuuuum." Ella moaned.

"Come on, otherwise you'll have an accident." Sam said as she put her hands on Ella's shoulders and guided her back inside. Meanwhile, Tom unzipped the vertical zip on the trampoline net and Daniel climbed on. Daniel bounced as high as he could for a few minutes until Sam came back out with Ella who was holding her hand.

"Right, come on. Off you get Daniel." Tom ordered and Daniel had one last bounce before he climbed off.

"You want me to come on with you?" Sam asked as Ella kept a hold of Sam's hand and dragged her to the trampoline.

"Yeah." Ella nodded.

"Right, take your shoes off first." Sam stated as she lifted Ella up onto the edge of the trampoline and pulled her trainers off before Ella scrambled onto the centre of the trampoline but she got a little wobbly and fell back onto her bum. "Oops, you okay?" Sam asked worriedly as she climbed on and lifted Ella up onto her feet.

"Yeah." Ella nodded again and Sam smiled as she stood behind her daughter and held both of her tiny hands, though it was Ella who was holding on tight, not Sam.

"She's not even bouncing." Daniel moaned as he waited for his next go and Ella frowned before she looked up at Sam.

"Leave her alone, one: she's never been on a trampoline before and you have, and two: she only learnt to climb up the stairs a few months ago, and she's doing really well." Sam said as she gave Ella's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Right, bend your knees a little bit and then stand back up." Sam instructed as she held Ella and gently used her weight advantage over Ella to move up and down a few inches on the black stretchy material, but she didn't lift her child's feet off of it yet because she wanted to get her used to it. After a few minutes of bending and then standing back up, Sam decided to continue. "Good girl. Right, do you want to try and bounce? Ready, three, two, one, jump!" Sam smiled as she held Ella's hand tightly and lighted her off of the trampoline but Ella didn't jump, it was just Sam's strength pulling her up. "That's it, now put your legs back down." Sam said and Tom laughed as Ella kept her knees bent but she soon adjusted and landed back on her feet.

* * *

**Saturday 6th April 2024, 7:30am**

Tom opened his sleepy eyes after being awoken by a familiar noise, but because he was still pretty groggy, it took him a few moments until he realised that that noise, was his wife laughing. She wasn't besides him, and the noise wasn't loud enough for him to be in the same room so he got up, pulled back the curtains and looked out in the back garden where he saw Sam sitting at the edge of the trampoline inside of the net. He frowned in confusion before he pulled his thick blue dressing gown on over his boxers and padded downstairs. He went into the back garden where he found both his wife and daughter who were still in their pyjamas. Sam was sitting at the edge of the trampoline whilst Ella walked around with a bounce in her step on the trampoline.

"What on earth are you doing up at this time of the morning?" Tom complained.

"Ella came and woke me up because she wanted to come out on here again." Sam stated happily. "Look, watch this. Ella, say hello to Daddy." Sam said encouragingly and Tom watched as Ella faced away from him, put her legs slightly apart, bent over, put her hands out in front of her and then looked at Tom from between her legs, upside down with her hair falling below her.

"'Ello!" Ella giggled.

"Hello." Tom chuckled.

"Y'know this trampoline was a really good idea, because she pretty much can't hurt herself on it because she can't bounce yet, she can't undo the zip on the net and it's a soft landing." Sam stated.

* * *

**10pm**

Sam and Tom had just gone upstairs to go to bed, with both of their children already fast asleep and Sam went into the ensuite bathroom first. Tom was sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxers, when a couple of minutes later Sam came out.

"Tom..."

"Yeah?" Tom replied as he turned around to face his unusually pale wife.

"I um... I'm sorry but I don't feel very well and I haven't got... I didn't realise, but last time used up everything and I've got nothing left and I've just started so I'm using a panty liner but it's heavy so I can't wear them all night and-" Sam explained disjointedly before she was interrupted.

"Hey, don't get upset about it. It's alright, I'll go and get what you need now." Tom stated as he eagerly got up and pulled his jeans on over his boxers.

"I'm not upset, my eyes are watering because it's really painful." Sam admitted as she wiped underneath her eyes and then sniffed.

"Have you taken painkillers?" Tom queried.

"Paracetamol and ibuprofen." Sam nodded. "I've just got to wait for them to kick in."

"Alright, well if you text me the brand and type of whatever you want, I'll leave now okay? I'll be as quick as I can." Tom stated as he pulled on a shirt.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Tom smiled as he grabbed his wallet and then headed downstairs.

* * *

Tom arrived home carrying a bag for Sam and he quickly grabbed something from the kitchen and headed upstairs where he found Sam standing in their bedroom.

"There you go. And I got you a couple of other bits too." Tom winked and Sam emptied the bag onto the bed to find two packs of pads and a box of tampons that she had requested, as well as a bar of chocolate, some ibuprofen just in case they ran out and a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, cookie dough flavour. "I know your weakness." Tom grinned.

"Thank you." Sam whispered as she went on her tiptoes and kissed Tom passionately on the lips for a few moments, before she grabbed the sanitary products and took them to the ensuite bathroom with her. After sorting herself out, she came into the bedroom where Tom was already in bed, and he was sitting with her ice cream and a single spoon. "Are you gonna spoon feed me?" Sam joked halfheartedly.

"I am actually." Tom stated bluntly and Sam smiled as she got into bed besides him and he put a spoonful of the ice cream into her mouth.

"I'm so lucky to have you." Sam said quietly as she snuggled into his side.

"Luck, had nothing to do with it." Tom quipped.

"Well thank you, I feel a lot better than I did earlier."

"Good." Tom smiled as he nicked a bit of the ice cream and then gave some to Sam again. He continued to feed Sam and himself until the tub was empty and then he snuggled up to his wife and comforted her until she fell asleep.

* * *

**Sunday 7th April 2024, 8am**

Sam slowly opened her eyes to find that crouched in front of her, was her husband holding a steaming mug. In the early hours of the Sunday morning, Sam had woken up in agony because of her period, and she had tried to remain silent because her 4 year old daughter and her 8 year old son were fast asleep. But thankfully, Tom had looked after her well, as he always did, and he had given her an abdominal massage until she managed to get back to sleep.

"How're you feeling?" Tom asked softly.

"Alright now." Sam forced a smile as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Thank you, for what you did last night." Sam said gratefully.

"That's alright." Tom smiled. "Here, I made you a hot chocolate."

"Oh, thanks." Sam slowly sat up and then received the beverage.

"Now, I know you're gonna deny this but it is scientifically proven - by my own personal research - that you're usually a little bit down and grumpy whenever you come on, so how about we do something that'll cheer you up?" Tom suggested.

"Depends what it is." Sam replied sheepishly.

"Well, I know you're excited about this one month holiday to America that you keep on coming up with ideas for, so, we're going to spend the entire day coming up with the itinerary for it, and by tonight, we will have hopefully booked it for next year." Tom explained. "Do you think that'll cheer you up?" Tom grinned as he saw the smile on Sam's face.

"I think it might." Sam smiled. "But I don't want us to tell the kids yet. I want use to give it to them as a surprise or something."

"Yep, sure." Tom nodded.

* * *

**8pm**

"So, do you want to just read through the list of what we want to book before we actually book it?" Tom suggested to his wife as the pair sat next to each other on the sofa with Sam's laptop and a notepad, whilst Ella and Daniel played with their building blocks and tried to make a big tower.

"Yep, sure." Sam nodded as she took the notepad off of him and began reading Tom's scribbled notes.

'_~Return flights (London Heathrow - Orlando International Airport) including inflight meals and snacks x 4 = £2264_

_~Disney Family Package for four (14 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge, 14 day ultimate Disney ticket, Disney deluxe dining plan (3 free meals and 2 free snacks per day, and a refillable mug.), Free use of Disney transport and $200 'free' Disney dollars.) = £4210_

_~Discovery Cove 1 day tickets (including swimming with dolphins) x 4 = £880_

_~Sea World 1 day ticket x 4 = £150_

_~£1000 ($1709) budgeted spending money for extras, meals, souvenirs etc in the first two weeks._

_~7 nights Sunset Vista Beachfront suite, Florida Keys, self catering = £537_

_~7 nights Blue Marlin Hotel, Florida Keys, self catering = £577_

_~14 day car rental = £210_

_~Food, activities, toiletries etc for 2 weeks = £1000 ($1709)_

_~Insurance for 4 people, for 4 weeks = £55_

_TOTAL = £10882'_

"Um... Yeah. I think we've sorted everything out." Sam nodded. "The only other thing is the dogs, but I'll speak to Fletch about maybe paying Evie or Mikey to look after them and walk them. That way we won't have to pay for a kennel, and Fletch'll be happy because he says the kids are always pestering him for money."

"Mummy, what're you talking about?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Er, noth- Ella!" Sam quickly threw the notepad at Tom, jumped up and hoisted Ella into the air as she saw the tower of blocks tilt towards her little girl. And Sam had saved Ella just in time as the blocks let out an almighty crash as they fell to the ground where Ella had previously been standing. "What have I told you about building those things too high?" Sam scalded as she balanced Ella on her hip, but the little girl, who wasn't so little anymore, immediately burst into tears. "Don't cry." Sam sighed as she let her daughter bury her head into her mother's chest and Sam rubbed her back. "I only told you off a bit because I don't want you getting hurt." Sam said softly but Ella just clenched some of Sam's thick, long hair in her fists and sobbed into Sam's plain blue zip-up hoodie. "Right, I'm gonna take her up to bed." Sam said over the wailing, to her husband, and Tom knew that bedtime for Ella took a while until she would go to sleep.

"Okay, me and Daniel'll have a quick game of footie in the garden and then we'll be up too." Tom smiled and Daniel jumped and headed outside with his father whilst Sam carried Ella who was still crying, upstairs.

Sam was getting a little worried about how slowly Ella was learning to speak because she often relied on Sam or Tom to understand what she meant. But she had taken Ella to the doctors and there was nothing more she could do except encourage her daughter to talk and read books aloud.

"Why are you crying?" Sam moaned as she put Ella down on her own two feet in the pink palace that was her bedroom.

"It hurt!" Ella shouted which took Sam by surprise as her daughter toddled over in her room to a corner and sat down on the carpet.

"What hurts?" Sam asked worriedly as she crouched down in front of Ella.

"My tummy." Ella mumbled.

"Well why didn't you say?" Sam asked.

"Because... I... Daniel hate me when I'm ill and I don't like it." Ella said disjointedly as tears began rolling down her cheeks again.

"Daniel doesn't hate you when your ill, Daniel loves you just like you love him." Sam said reassuringly though she did know that Daniel got frustrated when Ella had a nosebleed or something similar occurred because of her disease because it meant that Ella got more attention. "Look, do you think you can go to the toilet for me? You need to go before bed anyway but if you could have a poo, that'd be great and it might make you feel a bit better." Sam forced a smiled as she lifted Ella up and carried her to Sam and Tom's ensuite bathroom and closed the door behind the pair of them, because Sam had a feeling that the only reason that Ella's stomach was causing her discomfort, was because the Von Willebrand disease was causing bleeding in her digestive system and often resulted in blood in her stools or urine. And if Sam had evidence of Ella passing blood, the she saw no harm in giving her a very small dose clotting factor to prevent more bleeding from occurring.

"Okay." Ella nodded as she pulled her jeans down and she got herself on the toilet. Sam had to stifle a laugh as she caught a glimpse of her daughter's screwed up face in the corner of her eye but after a few minutes, Ella jumped up, pulled her trousers up and then got down from her step.

"Ella, has it been like this before?" Sam asked worriedly as she saw that her daughter's urine was slightly amber, tinted with blood and there was also specks of blood in her stools too. Ella stepped back up and looked into the toilet bowl out of curiosity.

"Don't know. Why?" Ella asked innocently.

"Well if it is like this again, can you tell me? Because your wee is supposed to be slightly yellow, or near enough clear and your poo isn't supposed to have this blood in it." Sam stated.

"Okay." Ella nodded before she went over to the sinks to wash her hands and after doing so, Sam lifted Ella up and sat her on the counter between the two sinks.

"Let's clean your face because you're all red." Sam stated as her daughter's tear stained face was not pleasant so Sam gently wiped cool water over Ella's skin and under her eyes before she patted it dry with a hand towel. "Right, let's go and get you some clotting factor, and some warm milk." Sam smiled as she lifted Ella onto her hip, went downstairs and sat Ella on the kitchen counter. Whilst Ella was occupied watching Daniel and Tom play football in the garden through the window, Sam injected Ella's clotting factor into her arm and then gave it a little rub before she put a small circular plaster over the puncture wound to prevent a bleed. She warmed up a pink cup of milk and then added a drop of vanilla extract to give the milk a bit of flavour because Ella liked vanilla milk, before Sam carried the cup and Ella upstairs into her bedroom. "It's still a bit hot so let's get you changed into your pyjamas first and let the milk cool down."

* * *

After giving Ella her milk, letting her brush her teeth and helping Ella read a bedtime story out loud, Sam managed to get Ella to slip off into a deep sleep as she clutched parts of the duvet in her fists, just like she would with Sam's hair - without pulling it - because it was a comforting gesture.

"Night night Ella." Sam whispered as she gently kissed her daughter on the head and then went into her bedroom where Tom was already lying in bed.

"You took your time." Tom commented. "I've already tucked Daniel in and he's fast asleep."

"Ella wanted to finish the end of the book so we took a bit longer." Sam shrugged as she got changed into her pyjamas and then went into the bathroom. After using the bathroom, Sam switched the light off and slid into bed besides her husband. "I cannot wait until next summer to go on holiday." Sam whispered.

"I know. A whole month, of spending time with the kids, relaxing and having fun. It sounds fantastic." Tom grinned as he wrapped his arms around Sam and kissed the top of her head.

"Do you think Ella's going to be okay? What if she has an accident and she starts bleeding or-"

"The odds of that happening as just as low as they are for her getting injured here Sam, Ella will be completely fine." Tom stated. "Anyway, how're you feeling? Did the holiday planning cheer you up?" Tom asked.

"I didn't need cheering up." Sam protested quietly.

"Yes you did, you were grumpy this morning and now you're smiling."

"It's dark, how can you tell if I'm smiling or not?" Sam retorted.

"Just go to sleep." Tom chuckled softly as he rubbed his arms up and down her back and slowly, he felt her become heavier as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Coming up: There's an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug at Daniel's primary school and he unfortunately is sent home sick. Who else of the Kent Family will get ill? And who will avoid the horrendous illness?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	59. Chapter 59

**Yikes 6,753 words in one chapter! Sorry guys I got a bit carried away!**

* * *

**Monday 9th December 2024**

"Sam?" Noel began as he came through to cubicles to catch the doctor's attention. "There's someone on the phone for you at reception." Noel stated so Sam jogged through and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is this Mrs Kent_?"

"It is." Sam nodded.

"_Hello, I'm Ms Adams, I'm the nurse at Holby Primary and I'm afraid Daniel has fallen ill so he needs picking up as soon as possible_."

"What're his symptoms?" Sam asked curiously.

"_At the moment, he's only got intense nausea but I'm under strict instruction to send home students with any possible symptoms of the stomach bug that's going around at the moment._"

"Okay, I'll be there in about ten minutes." Sam said sadly as she really didn't want her son to go through an awful illness, let alone the risk of her getting it whilst she would have to look after him. After putting the phone down, Sam went to the staffroom to get changed out of her scrubs, only she found Tom and Fletch on their break in there.

"I'm not looking." Fletch stated as he leant on the counter with his back to Sam as she pulled her scrub top off.

"I am." Tom stated bluntly as he eyed up his wife's black lace bra and cleavage whilst Fletch smirked. "Why're you getting changed?"

"Daniel's feeling sick at school. The nurse just rung to ask me to go and take him home." Sam explained.

"Oh... Do you want me to go and pick him up?" Tom queried.

"No, it's fine. Just don't forget to pick Ella up when you leave work, but I'll take the car so you'll have to get a taxi." Sam ordered. "Oh, and pick up some rehydration salts and things like that on your way home." She added as she pulled her skinny jeans up.

"Will do." Tom nodded.

"I'm done Fletch." Sam stated so that the nurse could turn around.

"I'll give you a tip, try and get him to have a few ice lollies. He'll need to get whatever energy he can get and he can still get some from them even if he throws it up ten minutes later." Fletch stated. "Oh, and when Noah was ill with it last year, I found that it was easier to give him a bucket for him to be sick into because he was just exhausted and running to the bathroom just made him feel worse."

"Okay, thanks." Sam forced a smile before she gave Tom a quick kiss and then left the hospital after grabbing a massive stack of disposable sick bowls so that she could throw them away instead of having to wash up a bucket.

* * *

"Hello monkey. I hear someone isn't feeling very well." Sam said sympathetically as her 9 year old son was walked to reception by the nurse in his blue jumper, white polo shirt and grey school trousers. "I'll take that for you." Sam said softly as she took Daniel's school bag off of him.

"I hope you're feeling better soon Daniel." The nurse said kindly.

"Thanks." Sam smiled before she put her arm around Daniel's shoulders and began to walk him out to the car. "Let's get you home and tucked up in bed." Sam said as she opened the passenger car door and then closed the door once Daniel was in. She got in the driver's seat and then grabbed a cardboard sick bowl from the back seat. "Hold this for me just incase you need to use it, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel mumbled and Sam felt bad as she knew that if her chatterbox of a son wasn't in a talkative mood then he must've been feeling awful.

"Were you feeling alright this morning before we left for school?" Sam asked.

"Yeah it just sorta, started suddenly. And it was right before PE." Daniel moaned and Sam knew how much he loved PE because that half term they were practicing football skills.

"Aw, that was bad luck eh? But don't worry. When you're feeling better, we can go down to the park and play football or whatever you want to do." Sam smiled.

* * *

**3:40pm**

Tom arrived home with his 5 year old daughter, Ella, after getting a taxi to tescos and then to their home where Tom knew Sam had been dealing with Daniel's vomiting and bouts of diarrhoea all day and that she was likely to get the bug too. He wanted to give Sam a break and look after Daniel himself, however, he was the only uninfected parent and he didn't want Ella, who still needed lots of attention because she was so young, getting ill.

"Remember what I said about keeping the noise down and begin a good girl yeah?" Tom questioned.

"Yes Daddy." Ella nodded as she kicked her shoes off by the shoe rack and Tom looked up as he saw his wearied wife coming down the stairs.

"Hey. How are you?" Tom asked.

"Um, Daniel's just-"

"No. How are _you_?" Tom repeated.

"Oh um, I'm fine." Sam replied confusedly.

"What do you want for dinner?" Tom asked.

"Um, I was going to heat up what was leftover from our roast diner yesterday in the microwave or something." Sam admitted before she ran her hands over her face.

"Go and sit down in the living room. I'll cook us something proper to eat." Tom stated as he gave his wife a sympathetic look.

"No, I should stay upstairs in case Daniel-"

"I'll keep an ear out for Daniel too okay? Look, I'll hold the fort for a while, Ella is gonna come with me to help me prepare an early dinner, because I'm gonna guess that you skipped lunch. And you are going to go and sit down and what whatever you want on the TV." Tom ordered.

* * *

**Tuesday 10th December 2024, 6am**

Tom's alarm had just gone for him to get up and get ready for work but he hadn't had a very good sleep; he and Sam had taken turns in getting up for Daniel who had continued to be ill throughout the night but as he opened his eyes, he realised that Sam was sitting on the edge of their bed.

"Has Daniel been sick again?" Tom asked softly but he received a shake from the back of Sam's head of thick, long hair. "Sam?"

"I don't feel well." Sam admitted shakily.

"Right. Have you been sick? Or had diarrhoea yet?" Tom asked but Sam shook her head again and as Tom got out of bed, he realised that Sam was sitting, giving her stomach a tight hug with her arms. "You poor thing." Tom whispered. "Right, I'm ringing Zoe; I'm not going in today." Tom stated.

"No, you should go. Otherwise you and Ella are gonna get ill."

"Sam, you can't look after someone if you're ill yourself, I don't mind looking after you both. Besides, Ella's fine. Anyway, you don't get a say in this. I'm not going to work, end of." Tom concluded.

* * *

"Alright mate, let it out... It's okay." Tom said as he rubbed Daniel's back as he vomited into a disposable sick bowl whilst he sat up in bed. "I've got another one, don't worry." Tom said reassuringly as, during a brief moment that Daniel stopped puking, he placed the heavy, filled one, on Daniel's bedside table and then held a clean one in front of his son's mouth before he began vomiting again.

"Dad make it stop." Daniel pleaded as he spat out what was left in his mouth and then rinsed with a cup of water.

"I can't mate, I'm sorry." Tom sighed.

"But you're a doctor." Daniel protested exhaustedly.

"I know but, with a bug like this, it's best to let nature take it's course because you need to expel the virus from your body which you're doing in your sick and diarrhoea." Tom explained. "Right, are you okay if I go and get rid of this now?" Tom asked and Daniel nodded so whilst his son got back into bed, Tom took the bowls downstairs, put them in a double layered black bin bag and then put them in their green wheely bin on the driveway so that it wouldn't smell. He had just made it upstairs to check on Sam when he heard her climb out of bed and he followed Sam into the ensuite to find her bent over the toilet bowl, projectile vomiting. "I gave you a stack of sick bowls you soppy cow, you didn't need to get out of bed." Tom chuckled softly as he scooped her hair behind her shoulders and into one hand before he used the other and rubbed Sam's back in gentle circles. It was her first time of actually being physically sick because of the virus and it had taken her breath away so she was relieved when it was over, but at the same time gutted that she had confirmation that she was ill.

"I didn't... I didn't want to be sick in a bowl." Sam admitted she she hung her head over the sink and splashed her face and mouth with water.

"Oh yeah, because a toilet is much more pleasant." Tom said sarcastically as he handed her a towel to dry her face on. "Daniel's episodes of being ill are getting less frequent and he says, although he's exhausted, he isn't feeling as bad as he had done last night." Tom explained.

"You do realise that it's only a matter of time before you get ill right?" Sam finally spoke up as she slowly walked back to bed.

"If I get ill, then so be it." Tom shrugged as he pulled back the duvet and once Sam was lying down, he tucked her under it and then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

* * *

"I want a hug." Ella moaned as she sat on her bedroom floor playing with a big dolls house whilst Tom leant in the doorway; he couldn't let her play downstairs anymore because he had to be on hand in case Sam or Daniel were sick. But Ella was getting upset because she hadn't had any contact with her mother in over 24 hours since they dropped her off at the crèche the day before, and now she wasn't allowed to hug her father either.

"I know sweetheart but if you hug me, you might get ill. And I'm doing everything that I can possibly do to prevent you from getting ill because if you get this bug, your Von Willebrand disease will give you bloody diarrhoea and maybe even blood in your vomit. One: that's blood that you shouldn't have to lose in the first place, and two: you don't want to get ill like mummy and Daniel do you? They're both being sick a lot." Tom stated solemnly. "But, you're being a really, really good girl and staying in your bedroom when I have to go, so when mummy and Daniel get better, we can go out to the park and I'll push you on the swings for as long as you want yeah?"

"Okay." Ella nodded.

"Oh dear, just wait here again for me." Tom said quickly as he heard Sam slamming the bathroom door but he suddenly saw Daniel sit up and grab a sick bowl. He knew that Sam was perfectly capable of having a bout of diarrhoea alone, so he made the tough decision to comfort his son instead. "Are you gonna be sick again?" Tom asked as he sat on the boy's bed besides him. Daniel gave a small nod when he suddenly began coughing and spluttering into the bowl. The norovirus was a nasty bug because it made people so ill and Tom felt awful as he watched his poorly son be sick, but there was nothing that he could do except let the bug run it's course. And because he had been sick for about 24 hours, it was only foul smelling bile coming up. "Good lad." Tom said as he gently patted him on the back. "When was the last time you had diarrhoea?"

"In the night." Daniel mumbled.

"Alright, well that was the first time you were sick for about two hours so you are slowly getting better. Just lie down and get some rest." Tom said as he got up with the sick bowl and after Daniel got as comfortable as he could with a stomach ache, Tom took the bowl downstairs to dispose of it. Then he suddenly remembered that Sam had been in the toilet so he ran upstairs, checked that Ella was still in her room and then went into his bedroom where the ensuite bathroom was still shut. He listened through the door, but he was met with silence, so he opened the door and walked through to find Sam sitting on the floor and leaning against the bath with her knees up against her chest.

"Hey, come on. Let's get you back into bed." Tom said softly but Sam shook her head.

"I wanna stay here for a while, I'm gonna be sick again." She mumbled.

"Did you have diarrhoea just now?" Tom asked curiously, Sam nodded.

"I don't understand how it's possible for something to come out of me with such force. It was literally just like brown water." Sam said grumpily.

"That's way too much information." Tom smirked as he sat down on the floor too and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Trust me, I can give more information." Sam quipped tiredly. "I'm due on my period tomorrow." She admitted sadly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I just hope that I'm either late, or all of this is finished by then because I do not want period pains as well as this stomach ache because if I take painkillers, they'll just come straight back up or out and I feel bad enough as it is." She grumbled.

"Well, whatever happens, just ask me if there's anything you want or something you want me to do for you and I'll do it." Tom stated.

"Thanks... Anyway, how's Daniel?"

"He's, over the worst of it."

"And Ella?"

"She's playing in her room. She's a bit upset that she can't have a hug, but she's behaving." Tom stated.

* * *

**11am**

A little while later, Tom leant in Daniel's bedroom doorway and he smiled as his son was fast asleep in his bed, getting some well earned rest after being unable to sleep in the night because of his son stomach ache. But it was then that Tom began to notice a rumbling feeling in the pit of his stomach so he went to his bedroom where Sam was sitting up in bed, reading her kindle because she couldn't sleep because she felt so unwell. She also had her hair tied back in a low ponytail for vomiting episodes.

"I'm gonna do some toast, you want any?" Tom queried.

"I'm not hungry." Sam shook her head. "Are you hungry?" Sam queried curiously.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because that's how mine started; I thought I was hungry, had an apple, went back to bed and I threw it back up twenty minutes later." Sam stated and Tom's face fell at the very real prospect of him actually having the bug.

"Well Daniel's fast asleep and he has been for 2 hours so I think he's in the clear." Tom stated.

"Don't change the subject. Just come and get into bed otherwise you're gonna contaminate the kitchen." Sam ordered.

"I've probably already contaminated the kitchen." Tom retorted as he walked in and sat on the edge of the bed next to his wife. "Is your urine diluted?" Tom questioned as he wondered about dehydration.

"I don't know, I haven't had a wee separately without having diarrhoea at the same time so I can't tell." Sam admitted. "But I haven't got a headache or anything and I've been drinking as much water as I can tolerate."

"Alright."

"Listen, if we both have to use the toilet at the same time, can we agree that the person being sick either has to use the sink or a sick bowl?" Sam requested.

"And what if we're both gonna have diarrhoea at the same time?" Tom questioned.

"Well then, one of us is gonna have to make the decision to run to the other bathroom that Daniel has been using." Sam stated.

"Does this mean that we're gonna leave the bathroom door open at all times then, yeah?"

"I suppose so, yeah."

"Y'know, I might not even be ill because I just feel a bit hungry." Tom stated. "You okay?" Tom queried as Sam held both her stomach and her mouth so he moved out of the way and Sam ran into the bathroom, he followed her, only he realised that she yanked her pyjama bottoms and underwear down before she sat on the toilet and he noticed the clean pad in her underwear which he presumed she was wearing either in case of an accident, or in case she started her period. Suddenly, she held both hands over her mouth and Tom ran into the bedroom and grabbed a sick bowl because she was too far to reach both the toilet and the sink at the same time. "There you go." Tom said as he made it just in time for Sam to throw up into the cardboard dish whilst she still required the toilet; it was simultaneously coming out of both ends. Tom held the bowl for her and grimaced at the thought of how awful she must've felt at that moment but he remained supportive. "You finished with the bowl? Or do you want a clean one?" Tom questioned once she had stopped vomiting.

"I'm done." Sam mumbled ashamedly as she leant forward to cover her legs.

"Alright, I'm gonna go and throw this out." Tom stated as he kissed Sam on the top of the head and then left the bathroom, and he pulled the door too as well. He went downstairs, threw the sick bowl in a bag and then took it outside before he walked back upstairs where he found Sam exiting the ensuite.

"I'm sorry, for what you saw-"

"Don't be sorry, I'm just sorry that there's nothing I can do to help you." Tom admitted.

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked as she slowly walked back to bed.

"Still hungry." Tom replied. "Maybe I'm not ill; it is nearly lunchtime and I skipped breakfast because I was looking after Daniel."

"Maybe." Sam shrugged. "I'm gonna try and get a quick nap while I can."

"Alright. Well you-"

"Daddy!" Tom heard come from Ella's bedroom.

"Get some rest alright, don't worry about the kids, I've got it covered." Tom stated as he pecked Sam on the forehead and then went to Ella's bedroom where his four year old was crossing her legs. "You need the toilet?" Tom questioned and Ella nodded desperately. "Go on then, I'll wait outside for you." Tom said reassuringly. "Oh actually, go to the toilet downstairs." Tom ordered as he remembered that Daniel, who was now sleeping, had been using that toilet whilst he was ill.

"But I really need a wee." Ella whined.

"Well then, we'd better be quick." Tom smiled as he bent down and picked up his daughter. He knew he probably shouldn't have had contact with her, but at the end of the day, he hated not being able to give her a hug so he carried her downstairs, placed her on the bathroom floor and then leant on the wall outside whilst he kept the door open because he knew his little girl wouldn't go with him in the room, but she still needed supervising.

"Daddy?"

"Yes Ella." Tom nodded as he raised a hand to his stomach which gurgled. He frowned at the odd sensation but continued nevertheless.

"Why do I wee?" Ella asked.

"Because, what you eat and drink, has to come out. So all the solid waste that your body can't use up comes out as poo, and the excess liquid in your body comes out as wee." Tom explained before the toilet flushed. "Ella, listen darling I'm not feeling very well so if I grab your sticker book and put a beanbag in the corner of our room, can you be a good girl and play by yourself for a little while please?" Tom asked.

"Can I have my lunch as well?" Ella asked innocently as she came out after washing her hands.

"Oh, yeah. Of course you can, sorry I forgot what time it was." Tom admitted exhaustedly as he walked through to the kitchen and Ella followed him. "Tell you what, mummy made you a packed lunch last night for you to take to the crèche like usual so how would you like that?" Tom asked as he really didn't want to have to prepare his daughter a lunch.

"Okay." Ella nodded so Tom grabbed the small Tupperware container containing Ella's sandwiches out of the fridge and he then put them in Ella's high school musical lunch box which contained a small bag of apricots, a pot of rice pudding and a spoon, a few flavoured rice cakes and a carton of milk. "I don't like this." Ella mumbled. "I miss mummy."

"I'm sorry about all of this Ella, but we can't help being ill." Tom said sadly as he carried a beanbag from the living room and Ella's lunch box upstairs and put it in the corner of his bedroom where Sam was lying on the bed.

"Mummy!"

"Don't go near her, I don't want want you getting ill." Tom said exhaustedly as he lifted Ella onto her bean bag and Sam noticed the sense of annoyance in Tom's voice.

"It's alright Ella, in a couple of days, this'll all be over." Sam said as Tom disappeared and then returned with Ella's sticker book. "How are you?" Sam asked her husband who, unbeknown to her was beginning to experience stomach cramps.

"What do you think? I'm ill." Tom snapped harshly. "No Sam, Sam I'm sorry." Tom pleaded as Sam climbed out of bed and stormed into ensuite bathroom however she slammed the door in his face and Tom then heard her throwing up. He turned around to see Ella's bottom lip trembling as she creased her forehead. "Ella? Mummy's okay she just-"

"Go away!" Ella ordered as she curled up on the beanbag.

"Ella I-"

"No. You shouted at mummy, go away! I hate you!" Ella shouted.

* * *

Sam still couldn't believe that there was anything left inside of her to expel from her body however after vomiting, Sam exited the ensuite bathroom to find Ella crying to herself as she sucked her thumb on her beanbag.

"Ella? What's wrong sweetheart?" Sam asked worriedly as she crouched down on the carpet but she kept her distance from her daughter.

"Daddy's scary when he's angry." Ella hiccuped at the memory of her father snapping at her mother which had frightened her.

"He's not angry Ella, he's just grumpy because he's ill like me." Sam replied softly. "Where is he anyway?" Sam asked confusedly.

"He left because I told him I hated him but I didn't mean it. Honestly, I didn't." Ella explained before she began sobbing again and Sam's heart broke to hear her daughter so upset.

"Right, d'ya know what? You're probably already contaminated with the virus and this quarantine thing isn't working for either of us." Sam stated bluntly as she went over, and picked her daughter up. "I missed you." Sam whispered as she held her daughter against her chest and gave her a little cuddle.

"I missed you too." Ella mumbled.

"Right, let's go and find Daddy. And I'm sure if you tell him that you don't like it when he's angry, then he won't do it again. And I think he knew you didn't mean it anyway." Sam stated as she balanced her 5 year old daughter on her hip and walked out onto the landing. Something caught Sam's eye and she turned to see Tom sitting besides the toilet in the family bathroom. "Tom?" Sam asked worriedly and Tom quickly flushed the toilet once he noticed that his daughter was there too.

"You shouldn't be touching her." Tom croaked.

"Well I am." Sam retorted. "Have you been sick?" Sam asked.

"I know what you mean about the force of it." Tom said tactfully as he knew that his daughter wouldn't know what he was on about, but he also knew that Sam would understand what he meant.

"Daddy I'm sorry. But I don't like it when you shout at mummy because you're scary." Ella admitted timidly before she buried her head in Sam's chest in order to hide from him.

"Alright, I'm sorry too. And me and mummy would kiss right now and gross you out but I'd rather not considering we've both just been sick." Tom joked halfheartedly.

"Come and get back into bed." Sam ordered gently and so Tom slowly got to his feet and followed Sam and Ella back to their bedroom. "Right, can you occupy yourself with your sticker book for a while?" Sam asked. "Or, you could have your lunch." Sam suggested as she sat Ella down on the bean bag and then she got into bed next to Tom. Sam and Tom had been lying down for a while, when Sam's nausea intensified and she knew she had less than a minute before she would have to make a fun for it. "Listen, don't get up because I don't want her to panic, just stay here. I'll be fine by myself." Sam whispered before she went and shut the ensuite door behind her. Tom looked in confusion but within seconds, he heard his wife projectile vomiting. Tom looked at Ella who had begun to eat her lunch and she had no idea what was going on behind the bathroom door. But of course Tom did, and not only were his abdominal cramps getting worse, but he was almost certain that his daughter was going to get ill too.

* * *

**Wednesday 11th December 2024, 10am**

After an eventful long night, Sam and Tom had managed to drift off to sleep in the early hours of the morning and hadn't woken since. Sam however, being a usual early bird slowly opened her eyes to realise that the intense feeling of nausea and an upset stomach had gone, but it had been replaced by menstrual cramps. She looked besides her to see Tom awaken, and they both gave each other a small smile. They both felt weak, tired and exhausted but at the same time they were relieved that they were in the clear.

"I take it you're feeling better too then." Tom whispered.

"Mm. Although I have got period pains but I'll take some painkillers in a minute. And I won't take ibuprofen just in case because I haven't eaten anything so I'll have paracetamol." Sam added as she slowly sat up. "Seeing as it's Wednesday, we were being sick this morning and this bug has a 48 incubation period after the last vomiting or diarrhoea episode, I think we should take the rest of the week off. We don't want an outbreak in the ED besides, I'm too weak to work." Sam admitted feebly.

"Yep, I agree. Plus, it's almost the christmas holidays so all Daniel and Ella were doing at school was making decorations and things like that." Tom agreed. Sam then looked over in the corner of their room where Ella was curled up on her beanbag that she was sharing with Shadow, and she was sucking her thumb and fast asleep.

"How is she not ill?" Sam laughed quietly.

"No idea." Tom grinned. "She had a few tummy bugs when she was a baby, maybe she's already had this strand of nororvirus." Tom suggested.

"Maybe."

"Do you want me to make you some toast?" Tom asked.

"Ooh no." Sam replied quickly. "I'm not gonna be eating for a while just to make sure I'm in the clear. Right, I'm gonna go and get the paracetamol from downstairs." Sam stated as she pulled the duvet back and got out of bed, only she turned around when Tom cleared his throat. "What?" Sam asked innocently.

"You've um..." Tom trailed off and Sam looked at the cream coloured sheet on the mattress where there was a browny-red circular blotch where Sam had been sleeping and she turned around to find an identical shaped stain on the back of her grey pyjama bottoms.

"Dammit." Sam muttered to herself.

"It's alright, we need to change the bed sheets anyway, now that we're not ill anymore. I'll change the sheets, you go and get your paracetamol." Tom smiled as he got out of bed and Sam awkwardly grabbed what she needed from a draw inside her wardrobe before she went into the bathroom to get changed out of her blood stained pyjamas.

* * *

"I've never known them to sleep for so long." Sam stated as she looked at her daughter who was still curled up in the beanbag, but Shadow had gotten up, leaving just her alone. And Daniel was still asleep in his bed in his room.

"Well I feel exhausted after that bug so I know why Daniel's asleep." Tom stated. "Maybe Ella's just catching up, she did miss her afternoon nap yesterday."

"You do know she didn't mean it when she said she hated you right? The main reason she was crying was because she thought that you'd never forgive her for saying it. Not because she was scared of you." Sam said softly.

"I know." Tom nodded.

"I'm gonna go for a shower okay? Can you keep an eye on them please?"

"Yeah sure, take as long as you want." Tom smiled as Sam walked into the ensuite and closed the bathroom door behind her, but Sam accidentally slammed the door and Ella began to stir.

"Mummy?" She croaked.

"Mummy's just gone for a shower, it's alright sleepy head I'm here." Tom smiled as Ella slowly sat up and then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Are you better now?" Ella asked.

"We're still a bit tired but no more being sick." Tom replied simply. "Hello little man." Tom smiled as Daniel came in the bedroom in his pyjamas with his short brown hair sticking up in all directions, similarly to his sister who had her lighter brown hair all messed up that went just below her shoulders.

"My arms and legs hurt." Daniel stated confusedly.

"Yeah? Well that's normal, you just need to rest for a few days and you'll get better soon. Tell you what, why don't you two come downstairs with me and we'll have breakfast?" Tom suggested.

"I'm not really hungry." Daniel replied.

"Well, I'm sure you can manage a bit of toast or something. Come on." Tom didn't have the energy to carry Ella so he held her hand and pulled her to her feet before he guided her downstairs which she had to descend one at a time. Daniel climbed into a seat at the breakfast bar and Tom briefly lifted Ella up to put her in a seat too. She liked sitting in the seats at the breakfast bar because they were circular and rounded. And because she was so small, she could get very comfortable in them. "Right, if his arms and legs are aching, he needs some protein to aid his muscles' recovery." Tom said to himself about his son. "How would you like to try some of mum's protein shake that she uses for running?" Tom suggested.

"Okay." Daniel nodded so Tom got out the tub of pink powder and made up a jug of it before he poured a small amount of the strawberry flavoured shake into a cup for Daniel and then some into a glass for himself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Right, now what would you two like for breakfast?" Tom asked.

"Weatabix please." Ella replied.

"And would you like banana or sultanas with it?" Tom queried.

"Both."

"You want both!" Tom laughed and Ella giggled. "Right, coming up." He put one Weatabix in a bowl, poured whole milk over the cereal and then put half a sliced banana and a sprinkling of raisins over it before he placed the bowl in front of his daughter and handed her a plastic spoon.

"Thank you." Ella smiled as she dug in before Tom turned to Daniel who was slowly sipping the milkshake.

"What do you want? You've got to eat something Daniel. You could have some toast without butter on it, that's pretty easy for your body to digest." Tom suggested.

"Um... Alright then." Daniel agreed reluctantly so Tom put four slices of toast in the toaster and waited.

"Morning you two. Or should I say afternoon?" Sam quipped as she came into the kitchen with her towel dried hair up flowing over her back and nothing on but her underwear and a thin grey dressing gown whilst she waited for her hair to dry so that she didn't get her shirt wet.

"No, it's 11 o'clock which means is morning, not afternoon." Ella argued innocently and Tom chuckled as Sam sat down on a seat next to Ella.

"Of course, you just eat your cereal." Sam smiled and Ella continued to demolish the Weatabix with her spoon into smush in a bowl before she ate a bit more. "Oi, is that my protein shake?" Sam moaned.

"Yeah. You want some?" Tom questioned.

"Why? I'm not going for a run."

"No, but Daniel had aching limbs and protein is gonna help his muscles recover. Besides, your immune system is mainly made up of protein so-"

"Just shut up and give me a glass of it." Sam ordered and Tom rolled his eyes before he poured what was left in the jug, into a glass and handed it to his wife. Then, the toast popped up and Tom cut the four slices in half and then put the single plate in the middle of the breakfast bar.

"Come on, everyone except you dig in." Tom ordered as he glanced at Ella and Daniel took a piece, as did Tom. "Mummy." Tom said sternly which he knew always annoyed Sam.

"I'm not hungry, but thanks."

"Mummy." Tom repeated and Sam looked at Daniel who was yet to take a bite of the toast, but he was looking at his mother. Sam didn't want to set a bad example so she reluctantly took a piece of dry toast and then nibbled at the middle of it, away from the crust.

* * *

**Saturday 14th December 2024**

After spending a few days at home recovering from the awful bug, the Kent Family were taking a trip to their local park to give the dogs a run about and to let Ella play in the play area, after being 'quarantined' from her parents for hours, which had seemed like ages to her.

"Daniel, do you think you can be nice and push Ella on the swing?" Tom asked as he sat his daughter in the child's swing which meant that she couldn't fall out, and she had something in front of her to hold on to.

"Yeah!"

"Be gentle Daniel." Sam warned as she sat down on the bench right in front of the swings so that she watched their children play together as Tom came and sat next to her.

"So, how much of a relief was it, when you had the first solid bowel movement after being ill?" Tom asked jokily and Sam couldn't help but smile.

"Don't make me laugh, it'll hurt." Sam stated as she put one arm around her abdomen.

"Are you still on?"

"What do you mean still?" Sam protested. "I only started three days ago."

"Alright, sorry." Tom apologised as he put an arm around Sam's shoulders. "I admit, I know nothing about the menstrual cycle." He added.

"Higher!" Ella shrieked.

"No, don't go higher, that's high enough." Sam said sternly to Daniel because despite it being virtually impossible for Ella to fall out of the toddler's swing, it was possible for Ella to get bruised from being too rough and Sam hated seeing her daughter with bruises all over her because of her blood clotting disorder, so she tried her best to prevent them. "Y'know, sometimes I just wish that I could wrap her up in her duvet or some bubble wrap and never let her out of my sight." Sam admitted quietly to her husband.

"I know, and it's perfectly normal." Tom said reassuringly.

"Since when has anything in our family been normal?" Sam retorted.

"Well you can't expect our children to be normal when they've got a barking mad mother." Tom quipped and Sam playfully elbowed Tom in the hip. He then returned the action, however Sam groaned and then rubbed her side to ease the pain. "Sorry, you okay?"

"Bully." Sam muttered darkly.

"You love me really." Tom grinned.

"Yeah yeah."

"Say you love me." Tom ordered jokily.

"Make me." Sam replied playfully.

"Alright then, tell me you love me, or I'll tell everyone in the ED about the fact that you were sitting on the toilet with diarrhoea and I had to hold a bowl for you to puke in at the same time."

"They already know I had a stomach bug, I don't really care if they know that." Sam shrugged. "In fact, it's quite funny now that I think about it so I might just tell them myself." She said smugly.

"Alright, I'll tell them that you started your period and leaked all over the bed."

"I didn't! It was a tiny little blot." Sam protested.

"I know, I'm joking." Tom stated.

"Mummy, I need a wee." Ella stated and Daniel immediately stopped pushing the swing and jumped out of the way.

"Ew." He whined.

"Oi, don't just let go of her." Sam protested as she jumped up and carefully brought the swing to a stop. "I'll take you behind the bushes." Sam said to Ella as she lifted her out of the swing seat. "Meanwhile, you two can go and play with the dogs for a while." Sam ordered as she bent down next to the stroller that they had walked Ella to the park in, and she took out a pack of tissues and a small bottle of hand sanitiser.

"Mummy quick!" Ella said quietly but nervously.

"Alright, just keep holding it. You can go in a minute."

* * *

**Coming up: Daniel and Tom have some bonding time together during a camp out in their back garden.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	60. Chapter 60

**Saturday 7th June 2025**

Just two months before the Kent Family's big holiday and the kids were still yet to find out about it because Sam wanted to surprise them. However, with 9 year old Daniel regularly going to Cubs, he was much more focused on a different type of holiday: camping. And because the Cubs didn't go camping nearly as frequent as Daniel would've liked, Sam had just gone shopping and got Daniel a small tent to camp out in the garden sometimes. And because Sam didn't want 5 year old Ella to feel left out, she had gotten her daughter some brand new bed sheets, covered with Hello Kitty and pink to go with the rest of her room.

"Mummy!" Daniel said happily.

"Aw, my children have come to see me to help me carry the shopping in." Sam said sarcastically as she carried in the shopping bags that contained the weekly food shop in.

"Did you get it?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"Start to unpack the shopping and then I'll tell you." Sam stated as she placed the bags on the kitchen side before she went back out to the car to get the rest of the shopping. Tom was putting the shopping away with the 'help' of his children when Sam carried in the last lot of shopping which wasn't carrier bags, it was a blue bag which was obviously a tent and a rectangular package with Ella's new bed sheets in.

"Thank you!" Daniel said excitedly as he took the tent and ran out into the garden whilst Ella tried to open her bed sheets.

"I need to wash these first but I'll make your bed up with them so you can sleep with them tonight." Sam explained to her daughter as she took the package off of her and began to put them in the washing machine for a quick spin.

* * *

"I don't like the idea of him sleeping outside by himself." Tom said quietly to his wife as they stood on the patio watching their son organise his sleeping bag and toys out in his blue tent in the garden on the grass besides the trampoline.

"He won't be sleeping by himself." Sam stated.

"But you just told him he can sleep out here by himself." Tom stated confusedly.

"I know, just wait." Sam said secretively before she turned and walked into the house.

* * *

"There you go, how's that?" Sam asked as she flattened out Ella's new duvet covers with the freshly made bed and Ella giggled as she jumped up on them and then laid her Hello Kitty toy like human in bed with it's head on the pillow.

"Thank you." Ella smiled.

"You're welcome. Now then, what do you want to do? You've got about an hour before we have lunch." Sam asked, though she was pretty sure as to what the answer would be.

"Trampoline!"

"Come on then. Let's see what tricks you can do." Sam smiled as she followed her daughter down the stairs and out into the garden where Daniel was sitting in his tent with the door rolled up, reading a comic. The trampoline was near enough the same height as Ella and the ladder was a bit tricky for her, so Sam had to lift her up and then zip the net closed just in case before her daughter began bouncing about.

"I still don't want him sleeping outside by himself." Tom said quietly as he came and stood besides his wife.

"And I've already told you, he won't be." Sam stated.

"What? But you-"

"Just trust me okay? You'll see what I mean later."

* * *

**7pm**

It was an hour before Daniel's bedtime but Sam decided that it was time to put her plan into action, just in case it didn't work and she needed to come up with a backup idea. The family had spent the evening outside with Ella on her trampoline and Daniel in his tent but Sam stood up and gave Tom a look, so he did so too.

"Right, come on Ella. I think it's time we go in now." Sam ordered and Ella was getting rather tired so she came out of the net and into her mother's arms so that she could be safely put back down on the ground. "Right Daniel, we'll give you a key, lock the back door and if you-"

"Wait, I... I-I want dad to stay with me." Daniel admitted reluctantly.

"I told you so." Sam whispered to her husband and Tom smirked. "I'll bring you a sleeping bag and pillow out in a minute." Sam added so Tom got into the tent and Sam went into the house with Ella. After collecting her husband's things for the night, she took them outside and then took Ella up to bed, got her dressed, let her brush her teeth and then read a story to her. "How do you like your new bed sheets?" Sam asked curiously.

"They're really comfy." Ella said sleepily as she nuzzled her face into her pillow as she laid on her side, facing her mum.

"Good. Night night." Sam whispered as she kissed Ella on the forehead, and then switched her bedroom light off and headed to the master bedroom. Sam got changed into her pyjamas, used the bathroom and then got into the spacious double bed that she had all to herself. She smiled as she though of her husband and son, spending the night together with plenty of bonding time that she hoped would bring them closer than ever before. And those happy thoughts soon helped Sam to drift off into a slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tom had just laid down in his sleeping bag besides his son out in their garden and thankfully it was a nice cool summer evening, but it wasn't too cold for them to be sleeping out.

"You know you can always come and talk to me about anything." Tom began. "Even if it's embarrassing and you don't want mum to know, or if there's a girl you've got your eye on and you want some chat up lines." Tom grinned as he playfully elbowed his son and Daniel awkwardly smiled before he spoke up.

"Dad?"

"Yeah."

"I think I might have problem... Downstairs." Daniel admitted timidly.

"Yeah? Why do you think that?" Tom asked softly as he tried to show Daniel that it was okay for his son to talk to him about such things thought Tom knew that, like most young boys, Daniel was probably just worried about something silly. And he knew that his son had already begun puberty - albeit a lot earlier than most boys - because Daniel had secretly told him one day that he had wet the bed, but when Tom went to change the sheets without Sam knowing to spare his son the embarrassment, he realised that in fact his son had had a wet dream, and Tom had had to explain to his son what had happened.

"Well I... What if one of my testicles, is slightly lower than the other?" Daniel asked awkwardly but worriedly.

"Don't worry, that's perfectly normal, I promise." Tom said reassuringly. "I've got one lower than the other and most men have got the same. It's just like with women, most have breasts that are slightly different sizes or shapes, and that's because they can't be exactly equal, they're bound to have a few differences in them. So don't worry about it, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks Dad."

"No worries. Now let's eat some sweets that I snuck out of the kitchen and d from your mum." Tom grinned.

* * *

**Sunday 8th June 2025, 9am**

The next morning, Sam was cooking a Full English breakfast, when Daniel and Tom walked in from the garden after Sam had let the dogs out and opened their tent to wake them up.

"Did you sleep well?" Sam asked curiously as they sat down at the breakfast bar, and Tom sat besides his daughter who was colouring, or rather scribbling, in a colouring book.

"My back is killing me, I don't know how you can sleep on the floor." Tom croaked as he rubbed his back and Sam flicked the kettle on before she went back and flipped the bacon. "What about you two? You sleep alright?" Tom asked.

"Yep. I had the whole bed to myself all night, and then Ella woke up at 7am and she came and had a lie in in my bed for a while." Sam smiled she made Tom a cup of tea, placed it in front of him and then stood behind him as she opened a tube of deep heat. "Hold your shirt up." Sam said softly and Tom rolled his shirt up at the back and then Sam gently rubbed some deep heat into his lower back.

"Mmmmm..." Tom groaned in pleasure as the heat melted away his aches and pains and replaced them with a warming sensation in his muscles. "Thanks." Tom smiled as he kissed Sam on the cheek and then she washed her hands and went back to cooking breakfast.

"Ugh." Daniel exclaimed.

"Yucky." Ella commented.

"What's wrong with that?" Tom protested.

"It's disgusting." Daniel stated.

"What was? All she did was rub something into my back. It's just like when you're out in the garden and mum puts sun cream on your back." Tom stated.

"Whatever." Daniel muttered.

"Right, me and your dad have got a surprise for you after breakfast." Sam stated to change the subject and Tom smiled as he knew exactly what she was planning.

* * *

**11am**

After getting dressed, Daniel and Ella were waiting in the living room as they excitedly waited for what the surprise was, when Sam and Tom came down, and Sam had a rectangular box that was covered in Minnie and Mickey Mouse red wrapping paper.

"Right, you two open this together." Sam ordered as she placed it on the coffee table and within seconds, they ripped it open to find a plain cardboard box that rattled when it was moved. Daniel lifted off the lid to find lots of puzzle pieces with bright colours on it.

"I don't understand." Daniel said confusedly.

"Well, that puzzle, is a clue as to where we're going on holiday this year. So you and Ella need to work as a team and put the puzzle together, and then work out where we're going." Sam explained as she and Tom sat down on the sofa.

"But we haven't got a picture to see what the puzzle is supposed to look like." Daniel stated.

"Well, then you two will have to work with each other and come up with a plan." Sam stated. She had given them no image purposely because if they had an image, then they wouldn't have to do with puzzle.

"We do the edges first." Ella stated.

"There you go, try that." Tom smiled and so the children poured the 1000 piece puzzle onto the carpet, and they began placing the pieces with flat edges on the coffee table.

Sam and Tom knew that the large puzzle would be a challenge, but both of their children liked doing puzzles so they sat back and watched as their children successfully worked together. Sam got them some juice and fruit after half an hour for them to take a break, and then after an hour of hard work, Daniel let Ella put the final piece of the puzzle in. It was a puzzle with two circles on it, showing the eastern and western hemispheres of the world, and surrounds those were dozens of disney characters. The princesses were at the top, and then dotted on various countries were others characters such as Simba, from the lion king on the continent of Africa, and then tropical fish from Finding Nemo near the Australian coast.

"But I don't get it. How can we be going all over the world?" Daniel asked confusedly and Ella too frowned at the dilemma.

"Well, what are all these characters related to?" Tom asked.

"Magic!" Ella smiled.

"Not quite. What channel are they all on on the TV?" Sam asked.

"Disney." Daniel stated.

"Correct, and what is the map of?" Tom asked.

"The wor... Oh my god are we going to disney world?!" Daniel shrieked and as soon as he said that, Ella's face lit up because both had friends who had been there, plus they had seen the adverts for disney on the TV.

"We are indeed." Sam nodded and both of he he kids squealed as they jumped up and down. "But, we're not just going to Disney world, we're going to Florida, which is a state in America." Sam stated as she pointed to the correct place on the map on the puzzle. "And we're going there for two weeks and we'll go to all the parks, and we're going to swim with dolphins, and then we're going to spend another two weeks in Florida in different areas and do various activities." Sam explained.

"We're going on weeks for four weeks?!" Daniel smiled.

"Yep. So once you two break up for your summer holidays, you'll have two weeks of coming to work with me and Dad, and then after that, you'll have a four week holiday, and then a couple of days left before you return to school." Sam stated.

"Thank you!" Ella smiled as she ran up and gave Sam a hug.

"Yeah, thanks." Daniel said excitedly as he jumped up and gave Tom a big hug with the four of them on the same sofa.

* * *

**Coming up: The Kent Family finally embark on their month long holiday! But what will they get up to?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	61. Chapter 61

**Saturday 2nd August 2025, 3am**

After hours of the excited kids refusing to sleep because they were going on holiday the next day, they had finally fallen asleep in the living room after they had exhausted themselves around midnight. Five year old Ella was curled up in the armchair and nine year old Daniel was lying down on the larger sofa but Sam and Tom had left it to the last minute for them to wake their children up because they had to leave if they wanted to get to the airport in plenty of time - it would take two hours to get to the airport and their flight was at 7am.

"Ella? Come on sweetheart." Tom said softly as he tickled his daughter under her chin. "Remember what we said? You've just got to get dressed, have a wee and then you can sleep in the car." Tom explained whilst Sam simultaneously woke up Daniel who got up and, though he was tired, he was still excited about his holiday so he rushed upstairs to get ready. "I told you to go to sleep earlier." Tom grinned as Ella was clearly less satisfied with the lack of sleep and she just closed her eyes again. "I thought you were excited about our holiday." Tom laughed.

"I'm tired." Ella mumbled sleepily.

"Right, come on. I'll come and help you get dressed." Sam smirked as she scooped Ella up into her arms and carried her upstairs. Just ten minutes later, the family set off from their home that they wouldn't see for another four weeks...

* * *

**8am**

Just one hour into their 12 hour flight, the Kent Family were still recuperating after staying up most of the night and having an early morning so when their continental breakfast arrived, Sam just asked the air hostess to put their meals on their lap trays because Ella and Daniel were both fast asleep. They were flying on an A380 airbus on the main deck in economy with British Airways and they were seated in a row of four seats in the middle of the plane with an aisle and then three seats at the edge of the plane either side of them.

"Four weeks of no work. I don't think I've ever had this long off of work unless I was unemployed." Tom joked quietly to his wife who were sitting next to each other because both Tom and Daniel wanted an aisle seat, leaving Sam and Ella in the middle of them.

"I have, but only when I had maternity leave." Sam replied as they tucked into their breakfast consisting of a colourful fruit salad, a croissant, butter and jam, a plain fairy cake and a carton of orange juice.

"Ah, I remember the days when I used to come home to a lovely home cooked meal. And then there were other days where I'd come home and you'd be pulling your hair out because neither of them would stop crying." Tom smirked. Then both parents looked to their left because they heard mumbling and they realised that Ella was waking up. "Hello sleeping beauty." Tom grinned as Ella cutely rubbed her eyes and then sat up properly. "That's your breakfast when you want it." Tom added and Ella began picking about on the lap tray in front of her.

"One hour down, eleven more to go." Sam joked exhaustedly.

"Get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on the kids."

"I don't think I can sleep on planes." Sam admitted.

"Well I beg to differ, come on." Tom lifted the armrest between them up and he pulled her into his side so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. "You want me to ask for a blanket?" Tom queried.

"No, I'm fine thanks." Sam smiled with her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around Tom's left arm before she attempted to drift off.

* * *

**7pm**

Finally, after a very, very, _very_ long flight - which seemed even longer when you considered that Sam and Tom had two hyper active kids with them - they had landed at Orlando International Airport, Florida, and they were just waiting for the plane to stop moving before they could get up.

"Are we there now?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"We just need to collect our bags, then get a bus to our resort and we'll be there." Sam stated wearily as she kicked her hand luggage under the chair in front of her.

"My ears hurt." Ella stated confusedly.

"Don't worry, it's normal and it'll stop soon." Sam said reassuringly. For the first part of their holiday, they were staying within the Disney resort and had free access to the Disney transport with part of their package holiday so they weren't renting a car until the second part of their holiday. They soon went through security, collected their suitcases and then got a bus to Disney Animal Kingdom Resort.

* * *

It was 8pm in the UK, but 3pm in Florida time by the time they got a bus and went through reception at the resort. It was scorching hot and Ella had fallen asleep because it had been a long day so Sam was carrying Ella against her chest whilst Tom took Sam's suitcase for her.

"Right, this is our room." Tom announced as he used the key to open the door to reveal a beautifully decorated African themed room to go with the safari and savannah style of the resort. There were two double beds in the centre, a kitchenette and then a living area with sofas, all in the same room with a balcony at one end of the rectangular room and a bathroom at the other.

"Mummy." Ella began to mumble as she opened her sleepy eyes.

"We're here." Sam whispered as she tucked a bit of Ella's wavy thick hair, that went just below her shoulders, behind her ear. "So why don't you go to the toilet, brush your teeth and then get your nightie on and get into bed?" Sam suggested.

"Mmhmm." Ella nodded before she rested her head against Sam's chest again so Sam smiled before she walked her daughter into the bathroom.

"I'm not sharing a bed with Ella am I?" Daniel asked grumpily as he was rather tired after such a long day travelling.

"Nope. You're sharing with me, and Mummy is sharing with Ella." Tom stated as he put the suitcases in the corners of the room to get them out of the way for now before he opened the glass doors to reveal a balcony looking over the amazing jungle where he could see the head of a giraffe poking out of the trees and he was sure to see more if he looked hard enough but for now he was too tired. "Right, if you get your pyjamas on then you can go to the bathroom after those two and then get ready for bed." Tom said to his son however as he turned around, he saw that his son had already laid on one side of the bed on top of the duvet because it was a rather hot evening, and he'd closed his eyes. "Night night then." Tom chuckled as he went over and kissed Daniel on the forehead and then set about finding pyjamas in the four large suitcases.

* * *

By the time Sam came out of the bathroom with Ella on her hip, Tom and Daniel were both fast asleep and she smiled before she walked over to the free bed and placed Ella down. She closed the back door that Tom had left open and then switched on the air conditioning to keep it cool.

"No, don't go to sleep sweetheart, you need to get changed first." Sam said softly as she stopped her daughter from lying down.

"But they haven't." Ella protested groggily as he pointed to her father and brother.

"No they haven't have they?" Sam smirked. "Right, let's just take your shoes off then and I'll let you sleep in your clothes but just this once." Sam said sternly as she pulled off Ella's Velcro shoes and then gave her the 'mini shadow' black and white border collie toy that had been passed down to her and it'd been through the washing machine more times than Sam would ever admit because it had been with her children when they both went through teething. "Okay, I'll see you in the morning. Night night." Sam whispered as she kissed Ella on the cheek and then went around her side of the bed. She kicked her shoes off, took her phone out of her pocket and then slide into bed, shuffled up behind her daughter and put an arm around her stomach so that they were snuggled up together.

"I love you mummy." Ella mumbled.

"I love you too baby." Sam smiled.

* * *

**Sunday 3rd August 2025, 8am**

After sleeping for over 12 hours, the Kent Family were feeling so much better, but they were also feeling very hungry as they woke in their room which was cool thanks to the air con that had been on all night.

"Mummy?" Ella whispered to see if her mother was awake.

"Yeah?"

"I need a wee again." Ella admitted as she had woken her mother in the night to take her to the toilet in the strange place.

"Come on then." Sam smiled sleepily before she stretched her arms and legs out and followed her daughter to the bathroom. The bathroom had a toilet, sink, cabinet, shower and separate bath which gave Sam an idea to help the family deal with having to share one bathroom whereas they usually had three at home. "How about you take a bath, while I take a shower so we can get ready for today?" Sam suggested whilst her daughter sat on the toilet.

"What? There?" Ella questioned a she pointed to the shower next to her.

"Yeah, I'll only be next to you so I won't be far." Sam said reassuringly. "And then we can go downstairs and get breakfast somewhere."

"Okay." Ella nodded.

"Right, I'll just go and get what we need while you wash your hands." Sam said as she left the bathroom to collect two complimentary towels, along with the toiletries that they had brought from home and a set of clothes each because she knew that Ella wouldn't get dressed in the same room as her father or brother. "Do you want bubbles?" Sam asked after she closed the door and then turned the hot and cold tap on for the bath.

"Yeah!" Ella smiled so Sam poured in some bubble bath and then splashed it about with her hand to foam it up whilst the little girl got undressed.

"Right, I won't be long, so once you're in the bath, I'll have a shower and then I'll jump out and wash your hair for you." Sam stated before she discreetly took her clothes off and wrapped the bright white towel around her body.

"You're not wet." Ella protested.

"What?"

"Why are you wearing a towel? You're not wet." Ella repeated as she stood with absolutely nothing on without an ounce of self consciousness because the one person who always helped her to bathe and dress was her mother and she didn't have anything to hide.

"Because, it's cold." Sam lied as she didn't want to explain to her daughter that she wasn't comfortable sitting completely naked when she could wrap a towel around herself. She also had nothing to hide but Ella's curiosity often led to personal questions which Sam didn't want to have to answer about her own body.

"No it's not!" Ella shrieked.

"Keep your voice down, daddy and Daniel are still asleep." Sam ordered jokily and Ella giggled quietly before she went back over to the bath.

"Can I get in yet?" Ella asked and Sam walked over and checked the temperature of the water before she lifted her five year old daughter up and sat her down in the bath.

"Right, don't touch the taps, but you can wash yourself if you want." Sam said as she pointed to Ella's favourite strawberry body wash.

"Okay." Ella nodded so Sam walked over to the glass shower which she was thankful for it being transparent so that she could keep an eye on her daughter, though she knew her daughter would also be able to see her. Sam dropped her white towel and then encased herself in the cabinet before she turned the shower on to clean and refresh herself after a long day of travelling the day before.

"So what are you going to spend your Disney money on? Have you decided yet?" Sam asked to make conversation. With their package holiday, they had received 200 free disney dollars which could be spent in the resort or the parks on anything from food and drink to fridge magnets and Sam and Tom had decided to give half each to their children so that they had some spending money and so that they could get some experience with budgeting their money on what they wanted to get and not waste it all in the first day. And Sam had already given the kids some ideas when they were at home.

"I want to get an autograph book." Ella replied almost immediately as Sam watched her splash in the bath.

"Yeah? Is there anyone's signature in particular that you want to get?" Sam asked though she knew the answers already because Ella had created an unrealistic, long list.

"Minnie Mouse and Lilo & Stitch, and Cinderella and Jessie from Toy Story and Pocahontas and..." Sam listen to her daughter's chattering and by the time she'd finished her list, Sam had already shampooed and rinsed her thick hair.

"And what else do you want to spend your money on? Do you want to get some small presents for your friends from the crèche?" Sam suggested. "Or you could get a few toys to play in the pool with."

"Can I get an ice lolly?"

"Don't worry about that sweetheart, me and Daddy will pay for food and drink." Sam stated as she began to condition her hair.

"Mummy?"

"Yes."

"Why doesn't Daniel have nosebleeds but I do?" Ella asked innocently and Sam had to quickly look over to ensure that Ella wasn't having one before she tried to think up an answer. She didn't want to hide Ella's illness from herself, but she knew that Ella wouldn't fully understand until she was a few years older - though she probably wouldn't fully understand what was wrong with her until she was a teenager and had begun biology at a GCSE level.

"Because, Ella... You know when I say someone is ill when they have a cold and then in a week or so, they'll be better?"

"Yes." Ella nodded as she turned around in the bath so that she was directly facing Sam which put even more pressure on her.

"Well sometimes, people can have an condition for their whole life but it doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be suffering all the time. Do you understand what I mean?"

"So you can _be_ ill but not _feel_ ill?" Ella queried.

"Yeah, exactly." Sam nodded. "Well you have got something called Von Willebrand Disease. And it just means that sometimes you have nosebleeds, or you pass blood when you go to the toilet, but it's nothing need to worry about." Sam explained. "But I also need you to remember that because of this disease, you won't be able to go on many rides when we go to the parks. And I want you to understand that if I say no to you, it's not because I want to spoil your fun, it's because I don't want you getting hurt okay?" Sam said softly.

"Can I still swim with the dolphins?" Ella asked innocently as Sam and Tom had made a big deal about that event and both kids were very excited for it.

"Yeah, of course you can." Sam replied. "Now c'mon, wash yourself with the body wash and then I'll come and was your hair." Sam ordered and she watched her daughter do a very good job whilst Sam herself washed her body before she turned the shower off, squeezed the excess water out of her hair and then wrapped her towel tightly around her figure. She knelt down besides the bath and used the shower attachment to wash Ella's hair twice before she pulled the plug out, lifted Ella out onto the bathroom rug and put her hooded towel over her shoulders. "Right, do you think you can get dressed by yourself so that I can get dressed too?" Sam asked as she put a small pile of clothes, socks and a pair of shoes in the closed toilet seat lid just for her daughter.

"You're not leaving me are you?" Ella asked desperately as she always hated being left in a room by herself, even at bedtime at home, she would have to fall asleep until Sam could leave her side.

"No, I'm just going to get dressed right here." Sam replied reassuringly. So Ella set about getting herself dressed whilst Sam did the same before she brushed through her long, thick, wet hair and towel dried it a bit more.

* * *

Finally, after spending a good half an hour in the bathroom, Sam exited in blue jeggings and a strapless royal blue top and Ella was wearing some plain jeans with a pink butterfly t-shirt, both with wet hair to find that surprisingly, both of the boys were out of bed.

"Where's Daniel?" Sam asked.

"He's sitting out on the balcony eating breakfast which I've gotten for you two too. It's out on the table." Tom stated.

"Did you use our passes to get it for free?" Sam asked.

"Yep." Tom nodded. "And I collected out refillable mugs." He added. "What did the dining plan include again?"

"It was the deluxe one so we don't have to pay for three meals, either quick service or in a restaurant and 2 snacks per day, and the refillable mug that we can refill here at the resort, and in the parks." Sam stated.

"Right. Go on, you two. Go and sit out on the balcony and have your breakfast while I go for a shower quickly." Tom ordered so Sam walked out of the door holding Ella's hand to find two chairs and a table. But out in front of them was the most incredible orange sunrise as the savanna in front of them came to life with animals everywhere. And they had a perfect view from the third floor.

"Mum! I just saw a giraffe over there!" Daniel said excitedly. "It was massive and it had a really long neck and it started eating off of the trees."

"Really? Well I'm glad I booked a room with a balcony then." Sam smiled as she sat down. "Come here munchkin." Sam lifted Ella onto her lap so that she had somewhere to sit before she pulled the small reflection over besides them.

"The pink cup has got milk in it for Ella, the green one is mine with orange juice and the light blue one is yours and I got apple juice in it for you." Daniel explained as he pointed to the refillable mugs that they could wash up in their kitchenette and refill for free for their entire two week holiday at disney world.

"Thank you Daniel." Sam smiled as she lifted up Ella's one which Tom had wisely only filled up half way because he knew Ella wouldn't drink a full 750ml cup of milk. "There you go." She smiled as Ella began to drink it herself.

"They had Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and a huge breakfast buffet with loads of stuff but Dad said that we could go there tomorrow and just get something to take up to the room today so that we could unpack." Daniel explained.

"Yeah, plus it probably would've finished by the time you and your dad had had showers and gotten dressed." Sam stated as she picked up the box of colourful fruit salad with a plastic fork and put it on Ella's lap for her. "Come on, eat up." Sam ordered.

"Are we going to the park with the big palace in today?" Ella asked and Sam rolled her eyes as she opened the box and began to feed her daughter who was too distracted to feed herself.

"No, we're just going to hang around the pool today and have a look around the resort because I don't think you'd last very long at the park before you fall asleep after a long day yesterday. Maybe we could go and have that buffet breakfast Daniel was saying about, and then go to to the Magic Kingdom for the day." Sam suggested as she put a bit of melon into Ella's mouth.

* * *

In the afternoon, Sam and Tom were sitting on their sun loungers under an umbrella for shade whilst they kept an eye on Daniel splashing in the pool close by, and Ella sat at the end of Sam's seat munching away at some carrot and celery sticks because she couldn't go in the pool unless Sam or Tom went in there with her. Sam was in a bikini, Ella was in a tankini and both of the boys were wearing swimming shorts.

"Have you noticed that Daniel's beginning to say mum and dad instead of mummy and daddy?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's sad isn't it? But I suppose he is nine; he's got to grow out of it eventually."

"I just don't want _her_ to start calling me mum." Sam admitted as she glanced at her daughter who was oblivious as to what was being said about her. "I love it when she says Mummy, just before she's about to ask a question." Sam admitted humorously as she thought about the dozens of questions that her little girl asked each day.

"She won't, she's a little mummy's girl; she's not gonna grow out of it anytime soon." Tom said reassuringly and with perfect timing, Ella had finished her snack.

"Mummy?" She began.

"Yeah." Sam smiled and Tom chuckled as they knew that was always how she began dialogue to her mother.

"Can I have an ice lolly please?" She asked.

"You've just had carrot and celery sticks." Sam laughed softly but she knew more than anyone that her daughter could go with skipping a meal because she was too busy playing one minute, and then she could eat a lot for her age the next which she presumed was something she got from Tom.

"Pwetty pweeeeeeeeeeease?" Ella asked as she fluttered her eyelids and Tom smirked.

"Come on, I'll take you and we'll get something for everyone." Tom said as he went in Sam's bag that was between their sun loungers and he took out their four Disney ID cards that they could get 8 free snacks per day in total; they also had three free meals so they didn't really need to spend any money on food. "Daniel, do you want an ice cream or an ice lolly?" Tom offered.

"Ooh, can I have that frozen banana thing with nuts on top?" Daniel requested as he swum to the edge of have pool, took his goggles off and jumped out of the pool. He and Tom had had a look around at the menus that morning when they'd tried to find somewhere suitable to get breakfast.

"Yep sure, you stay here because you're all wet and we'll go and get it for you." Tom said and so Daniel wrapped a towel around him and sat on the end of Tom's sun lounger. "What do you want?" Tom asked his wife as Ella jumped up and held her dad's hand.

"Um... Surprise me. But I want something relatively healthy." Sam replied.

"Right. Come on then." Tom smiled as he gave his daughter's hand a squeeze before they began to walk towards an ice cream stall that was near the main building but not far from the swimming pool.

"Ooh, ooh Daddy can I go to the toilet please?" Ella asked as soon as she saw the wooden door with the ladies symbol on it.

"Yeah sure but you're not going in there by yourself; you'll have to come in the men's with me." Tom stated.

"But I don't like it in there, it smells." Ella complained as she dropped her father's hand.

"Excuse me?" A smiling woman interrupted as she stood with her daughter who appeared the same age as Ella. "I could take her in there with me if it'd help you." She offered but Ella then wrapped her arms around Tom's leg and held him tightly as she became scared of the stranger and as Tom looked down at her, she quickly shook her head.

"No, it's alright. She'll come with me, but thank you." Tom replied before he bent down and picked Ella up and put her on his hip. "What's up with you? You haven't scared of other people since you were just beginning to walk." Tom frowned at his daughter as he walked around the corner to the men's toilets.

"I don't like going to the toilet with other people there except mummy and sometimes you." Ella replied innocently.

"Okay then." Tom gave his daughter a reassuring smile that her worries were normal before he placed her on the floor just outside the single cubicle in the men's toilets opposite the urinals. "Do you want me to wait out here or come in with you?" Tom asked as he sometimes forgot that even though his daughter was quite independent, and not far behind Daniel's maturity, she was still only a vulnerable little girl.

"Can you wait outside but put your foot under the door and keep it shut please?" Ella requested.

"Yeah, sure." Tom smiled as he closed the door and did as she had requested, and after lifting her up to the sinks so she could wash her hands, they walked back over to the ice cream cart.

"Right, you can pick anything that has got that white and purple logo on it because it means we can get it for free." Tom stated as he crouched down next to his daughter whilst she looked at the selection of snacks through the clear plastic of the freezer.

"Can I have that please?" She asked politely as she pointed to a Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate covered vanilla ice cream.

"Yeah, sure. We'll have one of those, this for your brother... And I'll get one of these and one of these so that your mother can choose which one she wants and I'll have the left over." Tom concluded as he picked up four frozen treats and placed them on the counter. The man working on the till scanned the barcodes on the ID cards, checked that Tom and Ella's photos matched to their faces and then thanked them so that they could go. "Just wait until we're sitting down." Tom said to his daughter who was eager to get her ice cream as they walked back and then Tom sat on the sun lounger with Daniel by his feet whilst Sam pulled Ella onto the seat and sat her down between her legs. "There's yours." Tom said as he took the wrapper off and handed Ella her ice cream.

"Thank you." Ella smiled before she began licking the chocolate off.

"There's yours." Tom stated as he handed Daniel his package of a frozen banana with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with nuts.

"Thanks."

"And you, my beautiful wife can either have a minute maid, frozen lemonade cup, or an ice lolly made with real strawberries." Tom stated.

"Thank you." Sam smiled as she took the frozen lemonade, took the lid off and began eating the slush like frozen beverage with the spoon that was under the lid.

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**Coming up : More of the Kent's family holiday as they go to a Disney theme park for the day!**

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	62. Chapter 62

**Monday 4th August 2025, 8:45am**

After a day of relaxing, the Kent Family had planned to go to the Magic Kingdom so they had a buffet breakfast for free, then got ready and got a bus, then a monorail to the theme park. Also, they had used their 2 free snacks each to fill up Sam's rucksack with food to keep them going through the active day.

"I'm glad we've rented a stroller." Sam admitted. "She looks tired and we're not even there yet." Sam stated as she and Tom who were standing on the busy monorail, looked down at their two children who had thankfully gotten a seat for the journey. They had rented a double stroller despite the fact that they pretty much never used their one at home anymore, however Sam knew Ella and maybe even Daniel would need to rest their legs for a little while, and aside from that it was somewhere for them to keep their bags.

"Yeah, _I_ might be needing it by the end of the day." Tom quipped. "And not that I need to say this to you two, but you have to stay with me and mummy at all times okay? Don't go running ahead if you see something you want to go to because we've got the whole day today and two full weeks that we can keep coming back to this place if there's something that we miss." Tom said to his children.

"Okay." Daniel nodded.

"Yes daddy." Ella replied. "Can I spend my Disney dollars here?" Ella asked.

"Yeah of course you can. I'm looking after them for you though." Sam stated.

"Ooh, look out the window you two. You can just see the castle over the top of that building." Tom stated as he pointed out of the window and Sam smirked as she knew that she was really taking three kids on the holiday, not just two. Ella practically jumped onto Daniel's lap but thankfully he tolerated her as they both looked out of the window before just moments later, they entered a building and the view was lost.

"Ohh." Daniel moaned.

"It's alright mate, we'll see it right in front of us soon because we're here." Tom stated as the vehicle came to a stop and everyone in the carriage because to squeeze towards the doors.

"Come on mum."

"No Daniel, let's wait until everyone else gets off. You're not going to lose any time in the park; it's open until midnight." Sam stated as she and Tom stopped their children from getting out of their seats because Sam was worried about losing them in the crowd as the doors opened and people poured out. "Right, we've got to pick up the stroller before we go anywhere okay?"

"But mum, I don't need it." Ella protested as she bounced up and down out of excitement.

"Trust me Ella, when you've been walking around for an hour you'll want to sit down and rest your legs for a while." Tom stated.

* * *

Finally, after collecting a double stroller and a map, they could begun their adventure and Sam made them go to a bench so that they could decide where they wanted to go first.

"How about we go to adventure land and work our way around the park clockwise?" Tom suggested.

"What's clockwise?" Ella questioned.

"It means, in the same direction that a clock ticks. So say for example this map was turned into a clock and the twelve was at the top, which way would be clockwise?" Tom asked.

"Um... That way?" Ella asked as she pointed to the left.

"Yeah, so in a circle, going that way could be called clockwise. And if that's clockwise, which way do you think is anti-clockwise?"

"Backwards?"

"Yeah, well done." Tom praised.

"Can we go on the jungle cruise around the lake?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah sure." Sam nodded after checking that Ella could go on it. "Ooh, can you two just go and stand against that board so we know how tall you are?" Sam said as she pointed to a height chart with a picture of Mickey Mouse besides it. "Right, you're, 135cm." Sam said to her son. "And you are, 108cm." Sam said to her daughter.

"At those heights, both of them can go on all of the rides, except Ella is too short for Space Mountain, and neither of them can drive their own car on Tomorrow Speedway, we'll have to go in the cars with them." Tom stated after looking at the map.

"Right come on then, let's go." Sam smiled.

* * *

**9:30am**

"Did you enjoy that?" Sam asked as they all came off of the jungle cruise where Ella had sat on Tom's lap and giggled the whole way at the leader's poor jokes.

"Yeah!" Daniel exclaimed. "I could see the fish next to the boat and they had massive mouths." He stated.

"She was funny." Ella smiled as she walked along holding Tom's hand.

"Yeah, she was wasn't she? Do you still need the toilet?" Sam questioned.

"Mmhmm." Ella nodded and Sam looked up to see that the female toilets had a queue of almost two dozen people.

"Oh..."

"Mummy I can't hold it that long." Ella pleaded as she crossed her legs.

"Do you want to come into the men's ones with me?" Tom suggested as there was only a queue of three people by the other toilets. "Come on, I'll hold the door closed for you with my foot so you know I'm there." Tom said reassuringly as he gave Ella's hand a small squeeze and Sam and Daniel sat down on a bench whilst they waited for the pair to come back out.

"Can it still go on Space Mountain even if Ella can't?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, either me or your dad will go on with you." Sam stated. "Though given your father's fears, I'd say it's probably going to be me coming with you." Sam added.

"What? Is dad scared of rides?" Daniel asked with an evil grin.

"Well maybe not smaller ones but I have a feeling he's not too fond of rides that go too fast or too high for him." Sam smirked.

* * *

"Mummy, daddy opened the door when I was having a wee." Ella moaned as she ran out of the toilets and wrapped her arms around her mother's legs.

"I accidentally let the door slip because she was too scared to lock it and I was holding it closed with my foot." Tom explained as he ran out after his daughter had sped off.

"Right Ella, what do I always say when you have an accident?" Sam asked softly as she crouched down so that she wasn't intimidating.

"That it wasn't my fault." Ella mumbled.

"Exactly, accidents aren't anyone's fault so you shouldn't blame daddy." Sam scalded gently.

"Ella, I'm sorry. I promise I didn't mean to do it, and I won't let it happen again." Tom pleaded with his daughter and thankfully, she put her arms up towards him so he lifted her up and gave her a cuddle.

"Good girl." Sam whispered as she patted Ella on the back. "Right, where do you want to go next?" Sam asked her son who had been looking at the map.

"The Swiss Family treehouse. It's from 'Meet the Robinsons'." Daniel stated.

"Alright then, I think it's that big tree over there." Sam stated and Tom lifted Ella up and put her on his shoulders before they walked over there.

* * *

"Right do you want to stay with Ella, or go on the ride with Daniel?" Sam asked her husband as they stood outside Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster which Ella was tall enough to go on, but she had opted out after she had seen how fast it went. Not that Sam would be happy with her going on it anyway because it could give Ella lots of bruises and cause unnecessary bleeding on her joints.

"Er... You can go on the ride, I'll stay here and sort out with Ella where we're going for lunch." Tom stated.

"Wimp." Sam said quietly to her husband before she jogged off with her son who was begging to get on the ride.

* * *

"Is Dad really scared of coming on this?" Daniel asked curiously as they stood in the queue.

"Um, I think so yeah." Sam nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't know. He doesn't like going in helicopters either so maybe-"

"Dad's been in a helicopter?! When?" Daniel demanded.

"A year or two before you were born. He used to be a doctor who went on air ambulances to treat patients who were in remote areas of who needed help fast. But he gave that up and became a doctor where we work now." Sam explained.

"I want to go on a helicopter when I'm older." Daniel stated.

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"Well if you carry on with cubs and then scouts, then maybe when you're 13 you could switch to Air Cadets." Sam suggested.

"Can I?"

"Yeah, if it's what you want to do." Sam nodded as she was happy that her son had already taken a strong interest in something that kept him fit and healthy. He went to cubs once a week and would be joining the Scouts next year when he turned 10 1/2.

"You're not gonna scream are you?" Daniel moaned.

"When have I ever screamed?" Sam protested.

" Dad tickled you, and when he kicked a football-"

"That nearly hit me in the face." Sam interrupted and Daniel smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tom sat down with Ella on a small patch of grass near the ride's exit where they would be able to see Sam and Daniel on part of the ride and take pictures. They had decided on a place to eat lunch not far from where they were and Ella was sitting looking around the map when she suddenly looked up and saw a heavily pregnant lady wearing a tight top. Tom followed Ella's eye line and saw her staring.

"Daddy, how are babies made?" She baked and Tom felt slightly nervous at having to explain it without the presence of his wife as he knew how inquisitive Ella could be. But he didn't want his daughter to think that it was a taboo subject so he did so calmly. "Because I know they grow in mummy's tummy but how do they get in there? Does she just decide she wants a baby and it happens?" Ella asked.

"Not quite like that no... What happens, is a mummy and a daddy have to do a special kind of cuddling called sex. And Daddy's have little wriggly things in them called sperm, but let's call them seeds for now, which are put into the mummy when they have sex. A single seed goes into a mummy's egg, and then that egg slowly grows into a baby just like those seeds you planted at home." He explained as he tried to help her to relate to the explanation.

"So if I got an egg from the shop and then a pack of seeds then I could make a baby?" Ella asked innocently.

"Not quite like that sweetheart no, only the seeds of a male human and the eggs of a female human can be used, but they're very very tiny. And you're not ready to have a baby yet anyway. You're not going to be ready for a long time because only grown ups like me and your mummy can make a baby; your body just isn't ready yet."

"But how does the baby get out?" Ella asked as she looked back at the pregnant woman.

"Well you know we've spoken before about how girls like you have vaginas, but boys don't? That's where a baby can come out if you decide to have one."

"But babies are _massive!"_

"Well yes, but your skin can stretch so baby's can come out of there when they need to. It's called giving birth, and it does hurt, quite a lot according to your mother anyway, because you were 8lbs and 2ozs which is quite big for a baby and your mummy has quite a small pelvis so it did hurt her, but it was all worth it because we've got you." Tom smiled.

"What's a pelvis?"

"It's the bony area around here." Tom said as he gestured his lower abdomen. "See if you push down there and feel something hard, that's bone and that's your pelvis." Tom stated and he smiled as he watched Ella investigate by touching all over her belly and her sides and thankfully, she seemed to have forgotten the topic of having a baby.

* * *

In the early evening after they'd come back from the park, Ella and Daniel were sitting on the balcony chairs in their pyjamas, seeing which animals they could spot on the savanna as the sun set, whilst Tom watched them from the doorway and Sam finished the last of the unpacking.

"All done." Sam announced as she came and leant against the doorway besides her husband.

"Can I have a word?" Tom asked quietly and Sam nodded as she stepped inside but the doors were glass so she could keep an eye on them.

"What's up?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Um, Ella asked earlier, about how babies were made and then how they were born because she saw a pregnant woman." Tom informed his wife.

"And what did you say?" Sam asked.

"Well I don't know if I went too childish or not childish enough." Tom admitted. "I told her that mummies and daddies do a special cuddling thing called sex, and that I have seeds, and you have eggs and when they meet a baby is made. And then I briefly touched on giving birth."

"And what did she think of what you said?" Sam asked.

"She accepted it and then jut moved on. Do you think I should've gone into more detail?" Tom asked worriedly.

"No, I think if you'd have said more you would've had to have explained about periods and where sperm comes from and all that so I think you said the right things. I know you did much better than I would've done."

"That's not true, you would've been fine." Tom said reassuringly.

"Listen I know we're still a few years off but when do you think I should teach Ella about periods and what she'll go through in puberty?" Sam asked in a hushed voice. "Because I know it runs in my family to start early and have heavy periods; it was the same with my mum, mu aunt and my grandmother. I mean I was 9 when I started my period and with her disease, she's going to have extremely heavy periods. I just, I don't want her to be scared but I don't want her to be unprepared." Sam admitted.

"Well then when you do do it, get a few books and some pads or whatever to help you explain it to her. Just do it whenever you think she's ready, because you won't be able to tell until a few years time when she will start to develop and once you think she's started puberty, you can explain it to her." Tom stated.

"Okay, thanks." Sam nodded in appreciation. "Y'know I think I may have overlooked how we're going to be able to go two weeks without sex." Sam whispered. She and Tom knew that they were staying in one room at Disney and so they had no hope, but their villas for the last two weeks of their holiday had more than one bedroom so they hoped that they'd be able to sneak some love making in during the night.

"We could always share a shower once these two have fallen asleep." Tom suggested.

"It's too risky." Sam shook her head.

"We could say in the morning that you're going to take a bath while I take a shower and then we could lock the door so we-"

"And that would mean leaving both of them in the hotel room by themselves with a balcony." Sam replied sternly.

"Scrap that idea then." Tom shrugged.

"Mm-"

"Dad look! There's loads of zebras running around." Daniel stated excitedly and both parents went out to see the animals gallivanting around and making funny noises before they settled down in a patch of grass and began grazing.

"Wow. I bet you're glad mum paid extra for a room with this view and a balcony eh? Can you imagine if we had a view of the car park?" Tom joked. "Hang on, I'll be right back." Tom went inside and then returned with a pouffe and put that on the balcony. "Right Daniel you can sit on that, I'll nick your chair," Tom began as he sat down on one of two outdoor chairs.

"And we'll share this one." Sam smiled as she lifted Ella up and then sat down with her daughter on her lap. As the evening went on and it began to get darker, and Ella soon fell asleep with her knees up to her chest, leaning against Sam's torso whilst Daniel continued to spot various animals.

"Do you want me to go and put her to bed?" Tom suggested quietly as he tucked a bit of his daughter's hair behind her ear.

"No, she's fine here." Sam smiled.

"Mum, do you think Shadow, Panda and Alex are okay?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah of course they are. They're staying at Fletch's so that they don't have to go to the kennels and that way they'll have Ella **(A/N Oops! I've only just realised that Fletch has a kid called Ella too!),** Evie, Noah and Mikey to make a fuss of them every day. Plus they can play with Max."

"Isn't Max their brother?" He asked.

"Well he's Alex and Panda's brother yeah but he's Shadow's son." Sam replied.

"Why did you get rid of Max?"

"Because Shadow got pregnant and she gave birth just before I was about to give birth to you and we weren't sure if we had enough room there because we used to live in a one bedroom apartment. Plus Uncle Fletch's kids aren't as lucky as you are because you've got two doctors are parents so we never have to worry about money whereas they can only spend the money when they earn it. They'd never be able to afford a dog so we gave Max to them as an early christmas present for free." Sam explained.

"Can we get a cat?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think a cat living in a house with three border collies would be a good idea." Tom stated.

"What about a fish tank?"

"We'll see."

"A rabbit?"

"No."

"A horse?"

"Now that's too far." Sam stated bluntly and Daniel giggled.

* * *

**Coming up: After their fortnight holiday in Disney, they stay in a suite, then a hotel, and then after a month in Florida, they return home :)**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and sorry for the abrupt ending but I couldn't think of another way to end it to be honest! Please leave a review if you can :)**


	63. Chapter 63

**Saturday 16th August 2025, 10am**

After a fantastic fortnight at Disneyworld, the Kent Family were on to the third week of their holiday which they were spending in a Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suite on Treasure Island which was just a short drive from where they picked up the car that they had rented for the last fortnight. Sam and Tom were both so terrible desperate to make love to each other after they had spent a fortnight sleeping in the same room with their children and so they only had one thing on their mind.

"Auntie Flo isn't visiting is she?" Tom questioned in code to ensure that he wasn't getting his hopes up for nothing as they would be sleeping in their own bedroom in the suite.

"Nope, you'll be happy to hear that she came last week." Sam replied smugly.

"Who's Auntie Flow?" Ella asked confusedly.

"Well y'know Fletch isn't really your uncle but you call him that anyway? Flow is a really good friend to Mummy and she is taking care of watering the plants while we're away." Tom made it up completely and Sam was glad she was in the passenger seat so that she could hide her grin at how irritating but entertaining Tom was being at the same time.

"Okay." Ella shrugged so Sam had to stifle a laugh.

"Tom."

"Yes?"

"You do realise that you're driving on the wrong side of the road again, right?"

"I knew that." Tom quipped as he quickly got on the correct side to drive which caused both of his children to laugh at him.

* * *

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." Sam purred as she and Tom sealed themselves in their air conditioned bedroom away from the kids with their king sized double bed.

"Oh trust me, I do." Tom chuckled as it had been so agonising for them because they'd been waiting ever since they'd arrived in their suite at midday but because they couldn't leave their kids unattended, they had had to wait until they'd put their kids to bed. They'd gone food shopping and unpacked and done everything they could to wear their kids out so that they could put them to bed just a little bit earlier than usual.

"Mm, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait." Sam whispered as she placed her hands on his chest.

"Right, here is my plan for the evening: sex, then shower with sex, then get into bed and have more sex, then we'll share a hot bath with more sex, then we'll have a five minute break and then more-" Tom was interrupted by his smiling wife as she planted her soft lips onto his and then slowly pulled away to make him want her even more than he already did. "Sex." Tom whispered to finish off his sentence before he and his wife began ripping each other's clothes off and they made love so lustfully that they never wanted to stop...

* * *

**Sunday 17th August 2025, 9am**

Tom rolled over as he groggily awoke only he realised that the sheets next to him were cold from the effects of the air conditioning. He frowned before he got up and was about to exit his bedroom when he realised that he was in fact still naked so he pulled on a pair of swimming shorts that he was bound to wear all day, before he went into the spacious main living area that was joined to the self-catering kitchen and then, because they had a ground floor suite, they could look out onto the beach with the crystal blue waves lapping up on the golden sands.

"Good afternoon." Sam said sarcastically as her husband walked into the kitchen where his kids were sitting at the breakfast bar whilst Sam made a four healthy bowls of diced melon topped with natural yogurt, a sprinkling of fruit and fibre cereal and then drizzled with honey. They had gone shopping the day before and stocked the kitchen up with food and drinks for the week.

"It's still early." Tom stated. "And besides, we were up until way past midnight so do you blame me?" Tom whispered jokily into Sam's ear before he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Right, why don't we go and spend the day on the beach?" He suggested. "We can go swimming in the sea, build sandcastles, bury mummy in the sand, fly a kite and play volleyball with a beach ball."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Ella nodded enthusiastically.

"Who said you can bury me in the sand?" Sam questioned.

"Me just now, didn't you hear?" Tom grinned.

* * *

With their children getting changed into swimming attire, Sam and Tom were in their bedroom getting ready for the day on the beach where they wouldn't be far from their suite, but they didn't want to have to keep popping back and forth.

"Don't bother taking a bag, I'll take my rucksack." Tom stated.

"Okay, but you'll have to pack the water bottles, sun cream-"

"Towels etc etc. I know what I'm doing." Tom said to his wife who was coming across as patronising.

"Alright, I was only trying to help."

"I know you were. So how about you make it up to me tonight?"

"Sure thing." Sam smiled. "But only, if you tie up the back of my bikini." Sam replied slowly as she held the two strings of her padded white bikini top behind her shoulders with one hand. Tom grinned as he walked around the bed and then took them out of Sam's hand so that she could hold her long hair up, out of the way whilst Tom began to tie a bow.

"Y'know, I only have to pull one string on this to make it come undone. And I would do it if we didn't have the kids with us." Tom smirked.

"Can you do it up in a double knot?" Sam requested.

"Sure."

* * *

After two trips to the beach and back to the suite to take their things to the beach, the Kent Family were ready to spend the day there. They had taken a parasol from their suite's patio so that they would have shade from the sun when they wanted some on the beach that was fairly empty because the tourist area of the beach where there were shops and restaurants was not for another couple of hundred meters down the beach.

"Ah ah ah Missy, you're not going in the sea without me or mummy going with you." Tom said sternly as he gently held his daughter, who was in a pink tankini, by the shoulders before she attempted to run towards the clear water where the tide had come in over the recent hours.

"Plus she needs sun cream." Sam added as she rubbed a factor 30 cream on her son's back because he had used factor 50 for the first fortnight and hadn't burnt so Sam felt it was okay to reduce the factor and save the higher one for Ella.

"Come on then, let's put some on you." Tom said as he knelt down on a laid out beach towel and he grabbed the bottle. "If I spray it on you, can you rub it in for me?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded and so five minutes later, both of their children were coated in sun cream to protect them from the sun.

"Right, why don't you two start building sand castles, and then me and daddy will come and help you and we'll have a competition?" Sam suggested as she picked up the buckets, spaces and various plastic toys that their children had bought using their Disney Dollars when they went to Disney's Blizzard Beach. Their kids eagerly grabbed the equipment and declared their area of the huge beach before they began their creations.

"Can you put sun cream on my back please?" Sam requested as she handed Tom the factor 20 bottle before she turned around in her white bikini, with her hair tied up in a tight bun to keep it out of the water, and to prevent stupid tan marks over her shoulders.

"Sure." Tom smiled as he began rubbing it into her shoulders, the back of her arms and then as he moved to her lower back, he sprayed a bit inside of her bikini bottom which, because it was cold, caused her to squeal.

"Tom!" She gasped quietly so that she didn't distract her children.

"What? I wouldn't want your pale little bottom getting burnt would I?" He grinned.

"'Pale little bottom'?" Sam protested. "Says you! The everything from your waist to your thighs is pale because of your shorts. And I mean _everything_."

"It might be pale, but it certainly isn't 'little'." Tom quipped and Sam couldn't help but laugh quietly before Tom handed her the bottle and she began rubbing sun cream into his smooth, muscular back. They had just finished protecting themselves from the sun's rays when they heard their daughter who had been busy creating her masterpiece.

"Noooooo! It's not fair." She frowned before she began sobbing because she had jut pulled the sandcastle off and all the sand had just collapsed.

"Ella, you can't just cry when something doesn't go your way." Sam said sympathetically as she knelt down and rubbed her daughter on the back. "Besides, the sand here is way too dry, you need sand to be a little bit wet so that it'll stick together, but not too soggy that it'll fall apart." Sam explained. "Come on, grab your stuff and I'll help you build a huge sandcastle." Sam said so Ella picked her bucket and spade up, and then held her mother's hand as they walked over to a flat area of damp sand which was slightly closer to Tom and Daniel.

"Right, sand competition." Tom announced. "Girls Vs Boys, no cheating, and whoever builds the best sand castle wins."

"Hang on, first of all Daniel has already built sandcastles and secondly, we need a time limit because otherwise this could go on for hours." Sam protested.

"Alright fine, I'm starting from scratch." Daniel stated as he kicked down the two perfect sand castles that he had already built.

"How long do you want to do it for?" Tom asked his wife as he glanced at his waterproof, diving watch that Sam had gotten him for christmas because he was forever forgetting to take it off when he went swimming with the kids or having a soak in the bath.

"Um..."

"Five hours!" Ella proclaimed.

"Five hours?!" Tom laughed.

"No, if we say one hour. Then there's enough time for a toilet break or a quick dip if it's needed." Sam stated.

"Alright, yeah. That sounds fair." Tom nodded. "It's 10:15am now, so we'll finish at quarter past eleven. On your marks, get set, go!" Tom said quickly before he began digging in the sand.

"Quick mummy quick!" Ella ordered and Sam smiled before she began helping her daughter.

* * *

"Right time's up." Tom announced as he stood up with his arms and legs coated in sand after checking his watch. "Step away from the sand." He ordered but he smirked as he saw Ella desperately try to get sand into her bucket again.

"Come on, we said no cheating." Sam smiled as she hoisted her daughter up onto her feet and then stood back. "Ah, now here's the problem, who's going to be the judge?"

"I am." Tom stated.

"Ha, yeah right! " Sam snorted. "We'll both be the judges, unbiased of course. Now you two go sit in the shade and get a drink from the cool box while me and your dad decide who won." Sam ordered. And once the kids were out of earshot, they began talking.

"You do realise that mine and Daniel's one is much better right?" He said quietly. He was sweaty and feeling rather hot but he was planning on swimming in the sea soon so he'd cool off.

"No it's not. Size isn't everything." Sam protested.

"I beg to differ." Tom grinned.

"Look, your one might be bigger but it's just a mound of sand with one castle on top." Sam stated.

"With a moat around the edge of it filled with water." Tom added.

"Yes, but Ella's one is neater and prettier." Sam stated as she looked at the circle of 12 castles that had a shallow but smooth hole dug out in the middle with a single castle in the middle that had been decorated with a few stones and shells that they could find on the sand.

"I don't want Ella to get upset if we don't pick her but we can't say it's a tie either." Tom stated as he glanced back at their children who were sitting on a towel each under the parasol umbrella in the shade sipping a carton of juice each. "Maybe we could say there're two prizes; one for the biggest and one for the prettiest." Tom suggested.

"No! Daniel's too old, he'll know we just don't want to pick." Sam stated.

"I think we should just say that Ella's is the best, and I'll have a quick word with Daniel and tell him it's just because we don't want Ella to get upset." Tom suggested.

"You think he'll accept that?" Sam queried.

"Yeah, it'll be fine." Tom stated as he went back over to his kids with his wife. "Right, the winner is... Ella." Tom stated and Daniel frowned whilst Ella's face lit up.

"Yay! We did it!" She proclaimed as she ran up to her mother and Sam smiled as she picked her little girl up.

"Yeah, we did, didn't we? Tell you what, seeing as we're both covered in sand, why don't we go and rinse off and cool down in the sea?" Sam suggested and they walked towards the water so that Tom had time to explain the situation to Daniel. Thankfully, he was rather mature about the situation and agreed to play along as long as he could chose what they had for dinner so Tom and Daniel then ran down to the water too where Ella was just letting the wave splash through her toes before it ran back and then repeated itself again and again.

"Last one in smells!" Daniel shouted as he ran into the water until he was out of his depth but Tom followed him so he wasn't in any danger.

"I don't smell." Ella protested innocently.

"Yeah but technically, we've both got our feet in the water and Daddy ran in after Daniel so I'd say that it's Daddy that smells." Sam concluded as she held her daughter's hand and they walked into the sea little bit more.

"Come on mummy." Ella moaned as she tried to pull Sam's hand but Sam was always cautious of her daughter going in the sea because she had only come out of armbands a couple of months ago and Sam was even cautious about Daniel going in the sea when he was a really capable swimmer and he had lessons every week at home at a leisure centre.

"We're not going out too far though." Sam said as she went with her daughter and soon the four of them were in the ocean with the water up to their necks and they were treading water because they couldn't touch the seabed. "Ella, you okay?" Sam asked frequently.

"I'm fine mummy."

"Alright, I'm just checking that you're not getting tired." Sam explained.

"Sam, there's pedalos a bit further down the beach. How about we pack our stuff up, head down there and rent one out for an hour or so?" Tom suggested as he pointed to where the tourist area was where over a hundred people were sitting on the beaches or splashing in the sea - they hadn't gone down there because they wanted some peace and quiet and plenty of space for the kids to play.

"Yeah! Can we?" Daniel asked excitedly as he saw two of the yellow boats out in the ocean down the coast.

"What's a pedalo?" Ella asked confusedly.

"You see those yellow boats down there?" Sam asked and Ella nodded. "Would you like to go on one of those? I think they've got slides on the back of them so me and daddy can pedal and you two can go on the slide."

"Yes please." She nodded.

* * *

After a long day, Sam and Tom had put their children to bed again and went to their bedroom.

"We are never getting one of those stupid boats again." Tom complained so so he collapsed onto the bed.

"I don't know what you're on about, my legs are fine." Sam said innocently. "Besides kids had a good time, they really enjoyed it and it was only $15 for 90 minutes which was a good price."

"Yes but Sam my legs feel like they've been yanked off and then glued back on." Tom moaned as he rubbed his calves. He and Sam had pedalled the whole time because Daniel couldn't even turn the pedals let alone poor Ella having a go at it.

"Oh, so you wouldn't be up to anything too strenuous now then." Sam said questioningly.

"Depends what you had in mind."

"Wow, that perked you up." Sam laughed.

"What? Sex makes everything better." Tom stared bluntly.

"Who said I was talking about sex?" Sam asked innocently.

"Oh haha, very funny." Tom said sarcastically. "Didn't we bring any deep heat with us?" Tom asked.

"Um... Yeah I think we did actually. It might be in the first aid stuff." Sam stated as she disappeared out of the bedroom and returned a few minutes later with a small tube that she had brought in case she pulled anything because despite being on holiday, she still kept up her exercise habits, plus the suite they were staying at was part off a complex, and there they had a golf course, tennis courts and a gym that they could use and Sam was going to use it whenever she could.

"Oh thank god!" Tom exclaimed.

"Where do you want it? Just the back of your lower legs?" Sam questioned as she knelt on the double bed besides his legs so that she could rub it in for him.

"Yes please. Then I'll give it ten minutes or so to work it's magic and I'll be ready for that 'strenuous' activity." Tom winked.

* * *

**Saturday 30th August 2025**

After a full 4 weeks in America, the Kent Family returned well tanned and well rested after they had actually slept on most of the 12 hours flight and had only woken to have three nice meals to keep them going, though quantity was something Tom had complained about and by the time he was woken for landing, he was starving.

"And we're back on English soil." Tom announced as he and his family stepped out of the airport and onto the concrete where buses, coaches and taxis were frequent.

"And it's cold." Sam added. "What's the plan then?" She asked her husband.

"Well it's 3pm now, we'll be home by 5 o'clock so I say we get home, have dinner, chuck all our clothes in the washing basket and then have an early night." Tom smirked as he began to pull his and Ella's suitcase towards the bus stop where they would get a bus to the car park that they had left their car at for a whole month.

"Ooh, isn't it nice to know that we're going home to a nice clean home and fully stocked kitchen?" Sam smiled.

"Why? We emptied everything out before we left." Daniel stated confusedly.

"Yeah we did, but we paid uncle Fletch to clean the house, change all of our bed sheets and then go and get the list of shopping that your mum wrote for him so that when we get home, we can just relax and we won't have loads of work to do." Tom explained.

"Was there churros on the list?" Ella asked innocently.

"Nope." Sam replied bluntly.

"What about funnel cake?"

"No because all of that food is really bad for you." Sam stated. "We only let you have it a couple of times because we were on holiday." Sam stated.

"Right, this is our bus stop, and I've just got to give the company a call to let them know we're here." Tom stated as he pulled his phone out.

* * *

"I do believe these belong to you." Fletch shouted across the quiet road as Sam and the rest of the family got out of their car after pulling onto their driveway for the first time in a month.

"Shadow! Alex! Panda!" Sam smiled as her dogs ran across the street after Fletch had checked it was clear and let them go and as she crouched down on the floor, they bulldozed her over onto the driveway and licked whatever part of her body they could find, though it was mainly her face.

"And you say _I'm_ just a big kid." Tom retorted and Daniel and Ella began petting the animals too whilst Tom lugged the suitcases out of the boot. "How were they? Any problems?" Tom asked his neighbours and friend.

"No, they were great. Really well behaved." Fletch nodded. "How was Florida?" He asked.

"It was really cool, we got to swim with dolphins and go in the sea and the pool and Dad nearly got us run over because he kept on forgetting which side of the road to drive on." Daniel explained.

"So you had a good time yeah?" Fletch grinned.

"Yeah it was fantastic." Sam nodded as she got up off of the floor with the dogs sitting at her feet.

"Well they certainly didn't forget who you were." Fletch laughed. "Oh and I've got all your shopping, and everything in there is cleaned." He added.

"Thanks. I've got your present somewhere but I think it's in one of the suitcases." Sam stated.

"Yeah she wanted to get you a dirty gift but I had to make sure we could get it through security." Tom joked.

"Why would you get someone a dirty gift? Then they'd have to clean it." Ella said innocently, and it seemed Daniel had been thinking the same thing as he waited for an answer.

"Because Uncle Fletch loves cleaning stuff. He'll even clean your bedrooms for you if you ask nicely." Sam lied and Fletch shook his head at her out of disapproval.

"Really?" Ella asked.

"No, your mummy is just kiddin'." Fletch stated. "Right, I'll leave you to it then."

"Thanks for doing the shopping and thank Evie for us, for looking after the dogs." Sam said gratefully.

"Will do, see you at work on Monday." He grinned as he walked away and Sam huffed at the though of going back to work with just one full day to spend at home before their usual routine started all over again and their kids would come to work with them for the last few days of the summer holidays.

* * *

"Mm, I'm having a lie in tomorrow morning." Sam mumbled as she cuddled up with her husband in bed under their duvet.

"You? Pft, you'll be out of bed by 9am." Tom scoffed.

"So? To me, that is a lie in." Sam remarked sleepily.

"Your feet are cold." Tom commented as Sam tried to entwine her legs with his.

"I know, that's why you should cuddle me so I don't get any colder."

"Right, so hugging you, is going to keep your feet warm?" Tom laughed quietly.

"I said cuddling not hugging." Sam murmured and Tom smiled as he tightened his arms around her and let her bury her head in his chest so that he could rest his chin on the top of her head. "We managed a whole month abroad, and Ella only got two bruises."

"Mm, it was good wasn't it? No nosebleeds." Tom stated. "Did she pass any blood?" Tom queried as he knew that his wife was the one who dealt with Ella's toilet habits because she wouldn't go with him in the room but she wouldn't go by herself; she had to have Sam with her.

"Um, I think she had it once or twice in her stools but other than that she was fine."

"Good." Tom nodded.

"Y'know we've still got over £2million in our bank?"

"Yes."

"I think we should do that sort of long holiday again. I mean, you go on holiday for a week and it's not long enough-"

"Hey, no need to convince me. I'm all for another one. But maybe not to Disney Land again, maybe somewhere different."

"Mmhmm." Sam nodded.

"Night night." Tom whispered as he pecked Sam on the forehead.

"Night."

* * *

**Coming up: Ella has her first Trampolining assessment and Daniel has a swimming assessment on the same day. Will both get their award? And how will they decide who gets to chose where to have dinner?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	64. Chapter 64

**Saturday 4th April 2026, 4pm**

It was an important day for two members of the Kent Family because both 10 year old Daniel and 6 year old Ella were being assessed at the leisure centre; Ella was having her first ever trampolining assessment after she had begun lessons a few months ago and Daniel was attempting to get his 800m swimming certificate. Of course, usually it worked out perfectly because they both had their sport session at 3pm every Saturday and one parent would watch one child, the other with the other and they'd swap each week but because their children were hoping to receive an award that lesson, they wanted both of their parents there.

And so Sam was spending the first 30 minutes watching Daniel do his warm up and then begun his 32 lengths of the 25m pool, and then go and watch Ella's assessment whilst Tom would stay with Ella for the first 30 minutes and watch Ella warm up on the trampoline, as well as keep her calm because she had gotten rather nervous, and then go and watch his son hopefully finish the 800m swim. Ella had had her dosage of clotting factor, so she was safe to do trampolining and she rarely made a mistake that gave her a bruise.

* * *

"Well?" Sam and Tom both questioned their children as they met outside of the changing rooms after getting dressed into some casual clothes. Sam knew about Ella's performance and Tom knew about Daniel's but they wanted to hear about their other child as well.

"I got it!" Daniel exclaimed.

"I passed!" Ella smiled.

"Well done sweetheart." Tom smiled as he bent down and picked his daughter who was in jeans and an a pink tshirt with her golden wavy brown hair that flowed past her shoulders by several inches now, and gave her a hug.

"Congratulations." Sam smiled as she also gave her son who had wet, short, darker brown hair, a hug before they pulled apart. "Right, how about we collect your certificates and then go out for dinner to celebrate?" Sam suggested.

"Only if we go to TGIFs." Daniel replied excitedly.

"No, Nandos!" Ella protested and Sam smiled because she knew her daughter had gotten her taste for spice from her, and certainly not from her father who was a complete wimp when it came to hot foods.

"Well there's only one way to decide where we eat out isn't there?" Tom concluded.

"Bowling!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Well let's just get your certificates first and then we'll go bowling." Sam said as she walked up to the reception desk with her excited children in tow. "Hiya, can I get the certificates for Ella and Daniel Kent please?" Sam requested.

"Sure, they've just been signed by your teachers." The receptionist smiled as she picked up the two certificates that had a badge attached to it with a paper clip and she handed them to the correct child.

"Thank you." They said simultaneously as they couldn't take their eyes off of their certificates whilst Sam and Tom escorted them out to the family car.

"So what have you two got to do to get your next award?" Tom asked.

"I've got to swim 1000m without stopping." Daniel stated.

"I have to learn how to do a seat drop, front drop, back drop and swivel hips. This certificate was for doing all four of the shape jumps." Ella stated proudly.

"Well I'm sure you two'll be doing that in no time." Sam stated.

* * *

"Right, are we playing one game or two games?" Sam queried though she knew what the answer would be, as she stood at the desk of the bowling alley.

"Two! Two!" Ella demanded.

"Alright. Can we have lane for four with the bumpers up on the sides, and we'll have two games please?" Sam requested as she got her credit card out.

"Sure, that'll be £39.99."

"See how much you two cost us every time we come here?" Sam moaned jokily as she out her card in the device to pay.

"They're worth it though aren't they dear?" Tom said mockingly and Sam laughed as she looked down to see her children fluttering their eyelashes at her and pouting their bottom lips.

"You're a bad influence on them you are." Sam grinned.

"You're in lane 9." The woman smiled as she handed Sam the receipt. "If you'd like to tell me the shoes sizes, I'll get your bowling shoes for you." She added.

"Er, size 6, one size 11, a kids size 12 with the Velcro, and an adult size 3." Sam listed off by heart as she was in charge of shoes and clothes shopping in the family. Her son could no longer wear their children's shoes so he had moved to adults ones. Tom probably didn't even know what size shirt he was wearing at that moment because Sam had gotten that for him too. Soon, they got changed into their ridiculous red, black and white bowling shoes and they went over to their lane where they had no balls on their console in he he middle, because they had to chose which size they wanted from the rack behind them. "Right, Daniel do you want to go and get two bottles of water and two fruit shoots from the bar for us?" Sam suggested as she took out a £10 note.

"Yeah sure." Daniel eagerly took on the responsibility and Tom went to help him carry it so Sam sorted out an XS ball, a S ball, a M ball and a L ball for their family because from youngest to oldest, they all needed different sized balls either because of the weight, or because of the size of the holes they put their fingers in.

"Am I playing with you Mum?" Ella asked as she sat on the bench and swung her legs back and forth.,

"Yeah. And I'm hoping we win because I could kill for a Nandos right now." Sam stated.

"Why can't I play with Dad? I always play with you." Ella stated and Sam felt a little hurt but she knew that her daughter meant not harm.

"Because otherwise, me and Daniel would win all the time. We need to split the teams evenly. It would be like me and dad being together, that wouldn't be fair to you and Daniel would it?"

"No but we could still beat you." Ella protested whilst Sam put the names into the screen above them and changed them from Player 1, 2, 3 and 4.

"Yeah I know," Sam lied. "But if you two played together, then we couldn't decide where to eat tonight because then you and Daniel would be on the same side."

"Oh yeah."

"There you go." Tom smiled as he handed Sam a bottle of water whilst Daniel gave Ella her fruit shoot.

"Don't guzzle it all down now, it's got to last until we go for dinner." Sam said sternly. "Right, I thought we'd do it in a different order for once so it's oldest to youngest." Sam stated as she looked up at the TV screen that showed the order of the players who were all at a score of zero.

"But that means I'm last." Ella stated.

"Yes, but that just means that you know how many pins you need to knock down to beat the boys, doesn't it?"

* * *

"There we go." Sam smiled as she handed her daughter a pink folder decorated with butterflies on it and Ella opened it to find her certificate in a plastic wallet, and there were a dozen empty ones behind it. "You can collect all of your certificates in here, and keep them nice and neat." Sam stated as her son already had one, but it was Ella's first certificate whereas Daniel already had quite a few.

"Mummy?"

"Yes?"

"Can I join the same Brownie group as Amy please?" Ella asked timidly.

"You want to start going to brownies?" Sam questioned and her daughter nodded. "Yeah sure. There might be a waiting list, but I'll look into it for you." Sam nodded.

"Can I start going to swimming lessons as well please?"

"Ella, I'm happy to pay for any kind of sport or group that you want to join, as long as you're going to go to it pretty much every week and that you enjoy it." Sam stated. "So you'd have Brownies on a Wednesday evening I think it is, then Trampolining on a Saturday afternoon and you want to start swimming lessons too yeah?"

"Yes please." Ella nodded.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Sam smiled. She was perfectly content with her life because she had two children who were active and healthy - her son was part of the Air Scouts, went to swimming lessons and played football for his school team - and she had a loving husband, a safe job, plenty of money and a roof over her head; what more she could she wish for? Sam then made her way to her bedroom where Tom was just getting changed after he had put his son to bed. "Ella wants to join brownies with Amy, and she wants to have swimming lessons." Sam informed him as she too began to get changed into her pyjamas.

"Yeah? I'm surprised you don't want her joining the scouts." Tom joked halfheartedly.

"She can't, she's not old enough." Sam quipped.

"I've just had an idea." Tom announced as he he went over and silently closed the bedroom door.

"What?"

"How about me and you go and have a shower together?" He suggested seductivley.

"I'm fine with it. But, I don't like having sex in the shower." Sam admitted. "Can we have a shower and then do what we want to in bed?"

"Yeah sure. But why don't you like..."

"Because I get paranoid that the condom is going to slip off and when everything is wet, I always think that it has come off and I just can't enjoy myself when I'm worried about that." Sam explained.

"We've have sex dozens of times in the shower before, how come you've never said?"

"Because I think you're forgetting that we used to do it all the time before we had the kids, and that was when I was on the pill." Sam stated. "We didn't need to use condoms, we've only had sex and used one in the shower a handful of times.

"Okay sure. Shower together and then bedtime." He winked as he just pulled his boxers down without a hint of self consciousness and Sam knew that he had been thinking about a sensual encounter for a while by looking at what he had just uncovered.

"You're unbelievable you are." Sam laughed quietly as she pulled her pyjama top over her head.

"Why?"

"What would you have done if I'd have said no?" Sam questioned as she put her hands on her hips.

"I would have... You've never said no in our entire 12 years of marriage unless you were exhausted because you were pregnant or on your period and I know you're neither because you finished two days ago and it's not possible to be pregnant if you've just been on." Tom concluded smugly.

"Y'know you're so cocky sometimes that I just want to punch you." Sam said as she playfully elbowed him before she pulled her shorts down and headed for the ensuite. "Let me go first, I need the toilet." Sam ordered sternly and Tom nodded in acceptance so he let her close the door and a minute later, he heard the toilet flush, the taps run and then the shower was switched on so he opened the door and them locked it behind him; the only time that the bathroom locks were ever used in the house was when Sam and Tom went in there together and they didn't want the kids barging in.

"You're so beautiful that I sometimes wonder how on earth I've got you all to myself." Tom admitted as admired his wife's faultless body as she stepped into the shower.

"Er, maybe because I married you and promised to be faithful?" Sam retorted.

"It was rhetorical." Tom pointed out as he got into the shower and sealed them both in the steamy cabinet and he just couldn't help himself as he began letting his fingers wander all over the surface of her body before he went beyond the surface and penetrated her with one, then two, then three of them. She gasped out of both pleasure and shock before she returned a favour to her husband and after running out nearly all of the hot water in the shower, which took a very long time, they dried themselves and dived into bed to keep the interruption short as they could grab protection from his bedside draw, and make love to each other.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam tried to prepare her daughter for puberty whilst her son is already going through it. She and Tom realised that their children are growing up far faster than they'd like so they agree on a holiday in their caravan while their kids are still kids. **

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	65. Chapter 65

**Saturday 6th January 2029**

"How many layers have you got on?" Tom chuckled at his daughter who was sitting at the breakfast bar in her pyjamas with her dressed gown on and a blanket wrapped around her. At 10 years old, Ella had grown a lot and with her hair down to her bum, it was even longer than her mother's. Not that it could compete with the thickness of Sam's hair because it was much thinner. And despite the long, incredibly well looked after, naturally wavy hair, Ella had turned out to be about as girly as Sam was and much preferred to get muddy and play with the dogs in the park than she would play with dolls or have a tea party.

"It's cold." Ella protested whilst she watched her mother cook them all a bacon sandwich. Despite the heating being on, Ella felt the cold even more than Sam did because she had the healthy eating habits of her mum as well as the fast metabolism as her dad so she was in perfect health except for her blood clotting disorder which was well managed.

"Should I put Daniel's bacon on or do you think I should leave it?" Sam queried.

"Depends if he plans on rising from his pit anytime soon." Tom chuckled at his 14 year old son who had turned out to be as lazy as his father, if not more so and he rarely rose before 10am unless he had to i.e. for school. He wasn't overweight, in fact he was very fit compared to many of his age because he managed to get into the gym for free under Sam's membership, plus he had swimming lessons, Air Cadets and school football every week.

"Well he-"

"Mum!" Sam heard her son shout from upstairs.

"Calm down mate, where's the fire?" Tom asked sarcastically as his son leapt down the stairs and ran into the kitchen where he found his whole family was staring at him wondering what on earth had troubled him because he was up so early - well it was 8:30am but for him it was early.

"My voice has broke." He stated happily. "It's finally bloody broke!" He laughed.

"Oi, language." Tom scalded.

"What do you mean _finally_? You're only thirteen." Sam stated.

"Yeah but I'm like the last one in my class; I was the only boy who talked in the same pitch as the girls. But not anymore!"

"Wow, there was me thinking he might be a bit embarrassed by it." Tom said sarcastically.

"Why would I be embarrassed about it? Everyone on the planet goes through puberty when they grow up, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Daniel stated wisely.

"Exactly. That's the kind of attitude I like to hear." Sam said encouragingly as she wanted her kids to be open with them as much as they wanted to.

"I'll have my bacon sandwich with ketchup and a glass of orange juice please." Daniel requested cheekily before he strolled into the living room.

"You wish. I'll tell you when it's ready." Sam shouted to him before she looked at her daughter who appeared to be in deep thought. Sam wondered if it was time for her to do what she had planned, but she concluded that it was too early, or was it?

* * *

Ella had just walked into her room with a thick fluffy towel wrapped around her body after having a shower when she noticed a box on her bed which, as usual, was perfectly made up to match her immaculately tidy room. It was a rectangular box, the right size to fit A4 paper in it, and it was 5 inches high with a floral pattern over it. She made sure her towel was tightly around her before she sat down on the bed, pulled the box onto her lap and lifted the lid off.

It was filled with a small can of deodorant, a packet of regular sanitary towels, and another pack of pads but for nights, a box of panty liners, a small box of tampons, a pack of feminine wipes, a facial scrub, spot cream, a pack of two training bras, a small calendar where each month could be torn out and used as a bookmark, a single disposable razor with a plastic safety cover over the blades, shaving foam and at the bottom was a thin pink book all about puberty for girls.

* * *

After getting changed for the day, Ella was just about to exit her bedroom to talk to her mum when she realised that Sam was in fact about to knock on her door, which had been closed whilst she got changed.

"Can you and I have a little talk?" Sam requested with a small smile on her face to reassure her daughter that it wasn't anything bad.

"Yeah, sure." Ella nodded as she let her mum into the room and then closed the door.

"Listen, all the things in the box, you don't have to use until you want to. I just thought it'd be easier than having to ask me each time for something different." Sam explained. "Do you know what everything is for?" Sam asked as she knew she had signed the permission slip for Ella to had sex education in her Life Skills class, but she didn't know how much she had actually learnt in a class with all of her friends.

"Not everything, no." Ella admitted as she pulled the box out from the bottom of her wardrobe and she went and sat on her bed so Sam sat on the other end of the bed with the box in between them.

"We can go through it if you'd like." Sam suggested and Ella gave a small nod so Sam crossed her legs to get comfortable and then lifted the lid off. "Right, I'm sure you know what deodorant is. it's is one of the few things in here that I think you can start using now if you want to and you might not like the smell do this one; if you don't just let me know and I can get you another one." Sam said as she put the can aside and picked up the pack of normal pads and the night pads. "Right, I've got to be honest, I don't know what they teach at school these days so how much do you know about periods?" Sam asked.

"Everything. Well, everything I need to know at my age I think anyway." Ella replied.

"Well there's an explanation in that puberty book or you can just ask me if you want to know something... I just got you these pads to start off with so that you've got something you can use if you start but I want you to know that sometimes, it can be hereditary at what age women in a family start their periods, and if I'm honest I started mine when I was nine, just like you are now. But that doesn't mean you're late in starting, it's just an indication." Sam explained. "Do you know about tampons?" Sam asked as she put the pads in a pile with the deodorant and picked up the small box of light absorbency tampons and they were the teen version so they were small.

"Yeah but I never want to use them. You can take them." Ella frowned.

"No, you keep them. Trust me, you might be a bit scared to use them but it's a lot easier than you think. Plus if you start, what are you going to do about your swimming lessons?"

"Mum, I just don't like the idea of-"

"It's alright, you don't have to think about that now we can face that when we get there." Sam said reassuringly as she put the box aside. "But you should know that the Von Willebrand Disease could give you-"

"Really heavy periods." Ella interrupted. "I know, I've looked it up."

"Ella you shouldn't-"

"And before you say I shouldn't trust everything I read on the internet, I was looking at the NHS website." Ella stated.

"Oh, well okay but you do know if you want to know anything you can ask me or dad right? Ever since you were diagnosed we've learnt a lot about it."

"I know." Ella nodded. Sam then picked up the pack of training bras that she had gotten her and realised that there was only one in the pack that was supposed to contain two. "Have you got one on now?" Sam asked.

"Yes. I know you might not think I'm old enough but it's embarrassing getting changed for PE and-"

"Ella, it's okay. I got them for you to use, not to just sit in a box for months." Sam said reassuringly as she placed a hand on top of her daughters. "Does it fit alright?"

"Yeah, it feels a lot more comfortable than wearing nothing."

"Do you want me to get you some more in that size then? There're a few more patterns you can get in that style."

"Yes please." Ella nodded.

"Okay, right I think these are pretty self explanatory." Sam stated as she picked up the small tube of neutrogena spot cream and a facial scrub. "I don't think you need to use these yet for a while. Just wash your face like you normally do because these are more for when you start to get greasy skin or whatever." Sam explained as she put the two aside and then picked up the box of panty liners. "Do you know what these are for?" Sam asked and Ella shook her head. "Well, did you learn about what discharge is?"

"Yeah; it's this disgusting gooey stuff that comes out when your reproductive system cleans itself." Ella replied confidently.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Sam smirked. "Have you had any?" Sam asked curiously but Ella just shrugged so she moved on despite the fact that Sam knew it was almost certainly a yes. "Okay well I use these sometimes just to feel a bit cleaner, but you can also use them on the last day of your period or so when the flow is really light and it's not worth using a pad." Sam explained before she put them aside and picked up the feminine hygiene wipes. "Right, these can just help you feel cleaner as well if you're out and about while your on your period, or I was thinking maybe when you go camping with brownies and you don't have showers then you could use them to keep yourself clean." Sam stated before she put that aside and picked up the disposable razor and shaving foam. "Right, you definitely don't need these yet and I don't want you to start shaving until you ask me, but, I just wanted you to see what it looked like and so that you have these when you do want to start." Sam stated before she put those on the top of the pile and took out the only things that were left in the box; the book about puberty and a bookmark calendar thing.

"Right, obviously this is to read through, but the calendar is so that you can start marking things out so say if you had a bit of a stomach ache, but then it went away, that could be a sign of you starting, or if you start getting discharge on a regular basis you can just note it down and keep a track of how things are going." Sam explained. She then put all of the things, except the book because Ella began to have a look through it, back into the box neatly and then into the bottom of her wardrobe.

"Thank you so much mum." Ella said gratefully as she got up and gave Sam a hug. Sam enjoyed every moment because a hug from her daughter was now a rare commodity.

"You're welcome. I just want you too feel prepared and not be needing anything, and I want you to be open with me because I'm a doctor and I can promise you that nothing you will ever say to me will be something that I haven't heard before." Sam stated as she reluctantly let go of her little girl who wasn't so little anymore.

"Even if... I don't know whether I'm normal?" Ella queried timidly.

"Ella darling, in this day and age there is no such thing as normal." Sam sighed. "Everyone is different-"

"But all my friends are the same and I seem to be the only one who's different." Ella said worriedly.

"Alright, different how?" Sam asked.

"At lunch, they'll sit on the field and watch the boys playing football and they'll all talk about how hot they think one boy is or how much they fancy another but I just don't feel any of it. It's like I'm not attracted to boys at all." Ella admitted.

"Why haven't you said anything about this to me before?"

"Because I only realised it last week. Honestly." Ella replied and it put Sam at ease that her daughter hadn't been keeping her feelings bottle up for ages.

"Okay well, listen. One: you're only nine years old so I doubt that any of your friends actually love any of those boys, two: you've still got years to find out what you find attractive, and three: if you mean what I think you mean, then there's no shame in being attracted to someone of the same sex as you." Sam said reassuringly.

"So you wouldn't kick me out if I turned out to be a dyke?"

"Don't say dyke, it's not a very nice word. And some people can find it demeaning. But I can promise you that if you are homosexual, we'd never kick you out, not in a million years." Sam said reassuringly.

"But what about Dad?"

"Your father, doesn't make judgements on people's sexuality. He likes them if they're a nice person, or if he they're horrible then he won't but he wouldn't love you any less because if your sexuality; he accepts you for who you are." Sam stated.

"You won't, say anything to him or Daniel will you? It's just I'm not actually sure and-"

"It's just between you and me kiddo." Sam smiled. "But I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything yeah? If you want to talk to me about the stuff in the box or puberty, it's fine. Or if you want to talk to me some more about sexuality, it's okay. I will always listen to what you have to say."

"Thanks again. I mean it, I really appreciate what you do for me and you're an amazing mum and I know you always listen, I'm not scared to talk to you about anything and when I've told my friends that they're jealous of me because you're so approachable." Ella stated gratefully.

"Stop growing up so fast." Sam joked halfheartedly. "You're so mature for your age, you're even more mature than Daniel and he's four years older than you."

"I'll always be your little girl." Ella smiled.

"I know you will." Sam smiled in return.

* * *

"Our kids are growing up Tom." Sam sighed as she laid next to her husband in their double bed facing the ceiling under their thick duvet and blankets to keep them warm in the winter.

"I know." Tom huffed. "Hey, how about we go in the caravan somewhere this half term? Spend some time together as a family?" Tom suggested.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Sam smiled. "Where were you thinking?"

"I dunno... Maybe Dorset? Or somewhere nice and rural with lots of space where the dogs can go running and you can smell the fresh air."

"Sounds great." Sam nodded. "Does this mean that you'll be organising it seeing as you suggested it?" Sam asked cheekily.

"I don't see why not." Tom shrugged. "Oh um, how did it go with Ella? Did you give her the box?" Tom asked as he knew how much time and effort Sam had put into making the little 'puberty kit' for her daughter.

"Yeah, we had a good chat." Sam nodded - she had no intention of discussing what Ella had talked to her in confidence about because she was just so, so relieved about what Ella had said about being so 'approachable' and easy to talk to and she didn't want to lose her daughter's trust.

"Well, night night." Tom kissed Sam and then turned on his side so he wrapped his arms around her torso and rested his head in the crook of her neck on her pillow.

"Night." Sam whispered.

* * *

**Coming up: How will Ella deal with her first period when her disease causes such heavy bleeding?**

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**Thanks for reading! There will be more on Ella's sexuality later on in the story and I thought it would be a good topic to explore so please review and let me know what you think of it :)**


	66. Chapter 66

**Sunday 4th February 2029**

Unfortunately, after a rather large RTC with a huge pile up on the motorway, Sam and Tom had been called in to assist on a Sunday. Fourteen year old Daniel was already going out with his friends but 10 year old Ella was too young to be left alone so, just like during school holidays, she had packed a bag filled with things to keep her occupied and was going to sit in the staffroom all day. However, it was 9am when Tom finally found a spare moment to check on his daughter, but he suddenly noticed a mark on the sofa where she had been sitting, about the same size as a 2p piece. Upon further inspection, he realised that it was in fact dark red blood, and he knew it hadn't been there before.

"No. She hasn't..." Tom whispered to himself. But he knew his daughter was probably somewhere feeling very alone and embarrassed so he covered the blotch with her rucksack before he jogged out of the staffroom and pulled Sam aside.

"What is it? I need to chase up some results." Sam panted as she had barely stopped all morning. As soon as they'd received the call about the collision, they'd had to drive straight to the hospital and Sam had skilled breakfast so that wasn't helping anything either.

"Has Ella started her periods?" Tom asked quietly.

"What? No, why?" Sam demanded.

"Don't panic but there's a little bit of blood on the sofa and Ella's gone-" Tom barely had time to finish his sentence before Sam zoomed past him but he followed her into the staffroom where she checked the mark and then went over to her locker. "What're you gonna do?" Tom asked.

"She's probably gone to the toilets so I'll go and sort her out. I need you to go to pharmacy and get a Von Willebrand factor and a Clotting factor VIII saline infusion. Tell them it's for Ella Kent and it's non-emergency but she needs some within the next few hours." Sam ordered as she took out a few things from her locker, including her dark Blue NHS hoodie and then quickly walked to the toilets but on her way, she was intercepted by her boss.

"Sam, I thought I told you to stay in resus today. We haven't got time for breaks-"

"Zoe, I haven't got time for patients. Ella needs clotting factor, now." Sam stated and she knew the clinical lead would understand because Zoe was the one who had diagnosed Ella when she was younger.

"Why? What's happened?" Zoe asked worriedly.

"Me and Tom have got it covered just let me sort this out please." Sam pleaded before she walked into the toilets and closed the door behind her so that Zoe didn't follow. Sam walked along the three cubicles in the toilets, two of which were wide open, the third was locked. "Ella? Ella, I know you're in there. Come on, just come out. I saw the mark on the sofa, don't worry I'm not mad." Sam pleaded.

"Has anyone else seen it?" Ella finally spoke up.

"Just dad."

"Brilliant."

"Hey, dad knew what it was straight away, covered it up and came and got me. He could've dealt with it a lot worse, I know my dad did. Just come out please."

"Mum my trousers are stained really badly."

"It's alright. If I go and get you your spare jeans from my locker, will you come out?

"I need underwear and a pad thing too."

"Yeah sure, I'll get those too." Sam said reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

* * *

"Sam!" Sam was just about to enter the toilets with a change of clothes for her daughter when her husband caught up with her. "Clotting factor eight and Von Willebrand clotting factor, for Ella Kent." He announced quietly as he showed her a bag containing half a litre of saline, and the appropriate dosage of both clotting factors. "The pharmacist made it up there and then for her, and said you need to infuse it into her over a period of one hour." Tom stated. They both knew that clotting factor couldn't go straight into the blood or it would cause an unnecessary clot around the injection site so it needed to be slowly infused into her blood stream.

"Great, can you set up an IV cannula and leave the stuff in my locker in the staffroom please?" Sam requested as she handed him her keys.

"Sure, how is she?" Tom asked.

"I don't know, she hasn't come out of the cubicle yet." Sam admitted feebly.

"You'll get her out somehow, I know you will." Tom said reassuringly before he headed off leaving Sam to go into the toilets where her daughter was still hiding.

"Right, here is as pair pair of jeans, underwear and I got you a heavy absorbency pad." Sam announced as she slid them under the door before she waited for her daughter to change.

"What should I do with my trousers?" Ella asked finally.

"Just come out here and I'll see now bad it is." Sam replied and thankfully, she soon opened the cubicle and came out to the sinks with just her jeans because she'd already thrown her underwear in the bin. "Ah, well. They're only an old pair anyway." Sam shrugged as she threw that pair in he he bin because the stain was very noticeable and unlikely to come out completely. "Listen, I can't get off early darling, I'm sorry but there's been a massive crash. But because of the bleeding you know the drill; you've got to have an infusion, it'll take about an hour and you can have it in the staffroom okay?"

"Is this going to happen every month?" Ella huffed.

"Well, first of all you're not going to ruin a pair of trousers every month because as you start to get regular, you'll know when to go and stick a pad in your underwear just in case. And you will need an infusion at the beginning of each period, but if we know when you'll be coming on, I can give it to you over night so you won't be tied down during the day." Sam explained. "Are you gonna come back to the staffroom so we can get it started?" Sam asked and Ella nodded whilst she kept her head to the floor. "Sweetheart you're being so brave okay? I know it might be a bit of a shock but you'll get used to it."

"But there's so much blood." Ella sighed. "I'd only been sitting on that sofa for half an hour and by the time I ran to the toilet, I had blood dripping down my leg."

"Ella we've talking about this, it's your disease, and I'm doing everything I can to make it better, you just need to let me put a drip on your hand to get the infusion started." Sam said pleadingly and Ella slowly followed her mum out of the bathroom back to the staffroom.

* * *

Later on, Ella was lying in her own bed because lying down seemed to slow down the flow and thankfully the infusion had also slowed down bleeding. She was lying down on a black towel in her bed because she had already ruined some pyjama bottoms and Sam knew Ella was having a really tough time so he was doing everything she could to help her. Ella was just reading a book when her mother came in with two new packs of pads.

"Right, these are night pads and they're just longer okay? So, it's up to you but I'd think about maybe wearing these during the day. Because they're heavy absorbency and they are longer than normal pads so they'll help to prevent leaks. Just don't wear any tight clothes with them because you might be able to see them." Sam said as she put the pads with the rest of Ella's ones in the bottom of her wardrobe.

"Thanks mum." Ella murmured, though they both knew she was just dreading going back to school the next day.

"I'll tell you a tip: when I was at school, I used to put a tampon in in the morning just before I left for school, and I'd put a pad in my underwear as well. Then, by the time it got to lunch I could just take the tampon out and use the pad because let's face it, it's not easy to discreetly and quietly change a pad in public toilets." Sam joked halfheartedly.

"I'm not using a tampon." Ella replied adamantly.

"Alright. Well to make changing a pad quieter, you can just open the edges at home, and then take them to school."

"Can't I stay at home tomorrow?" Ella pleaded.

"You're too young to stay by yourself." Sam shook her head.

"Well can't I come to work with you then?"

"Because I want you to at least try going to school Ella. I sympathise for you, I really do but at the end of the day, you can't just skip your education for a week out of every month." Sam stated. "Right, are you going to come down and have some dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." Ella mumbled as she pulled her duvet up to her chin.

"It'll just be nerves Ella. C'mon, you've got to eat something, you barely touched your lunch."

"Just leave me alone." Ella sulked as she turned over to face the wall and then closed her eyes and thankfully, she heard her mum leave the room and close her door behind her.

* * *

**Monday 5th February 2029**

The next day, Sam was working in cubicles when she was called over to the nurses station.

"It's Holby Primary for you." Tess stated and Sam frowned before she put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is that Mrs Kent_?"

"Yes."

"_I'm a nurse at your daughter's school and I'm afraid Ella has had a bit of an accident. Would it be possible for you to bring her a spare pair of trousers and underwear in and drop them off at reception?_" She asked and Sam knew Ella's school uniform meant that her trousers were grey rather than a discreet colour like black.

"_No, tell her I want to go home. Please_." Sam heard her daughter plead in the background.

"_Ella, I've told you there's no need. You just have to get changed and you'll be fine. You're not getting out of PE that easily._" Sam heard the nurse reply. But then it clicked, Ella loved PE, she wouldn't miss it unless she really had to and she knew her daughter needed her.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Sam replied before she hung her phone up and headed to the staffroom to grab her keys and jumper.

* * *

Sam walked into reception in her scrubs with her NHS dark blue jumper on where she was greeted with a young man at the reception.

"I've been called for my daughter, Ella Kent." Sam stated.

"I'm afraid you just be mistaken, all children who're being taken home are radioed ahead and brought over here by the school nurse." He replied confusedly.

"Well then tell me where the medical room is so I can go and collect my daughter myself." Sam ordered.

"Miss Kent, I'm afraid you can't just take your daughter out of school without a valid reason."

"Its _Mrs_ Kent. And oh goodness, I've just remembered she has an emergency dentist appointment and we're running late. Can you bring my daughter over please?" Sam demanded with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mrs Kent-"

"Mum?" Ella questioned as she came out of an office after hearing her mother's voice. "Mum please take me home, I can't do this." Ella pleaded.

"Come here." Sam smiled and her daughter ran into her mother's open arms when suddenly a woman in a nurses uniform came out of the same office that Ella had been in.

"Excuse me Mrs Kent but-"

"I'd like to talk to the head teacher." Sam said to the receptionist as the nurse came over. "Now." She barked and the receptionist got to their feet and walked off so Sam turned to the nurse. "How long have you been working here?" Sam asked as she kept an arm around her daughter who was trying to hide the back of her trousers.

"Three months." The nurse replied confidently.

"And are you aware that my daughter has Von Willebrand Disease?" Sam asked.

"Oh um, no. But I-"

"Then I think you'll understand why she is having a bit of a hard time at the moment." Sam snapped and as she turned around she was met with a short woman, with high heels and a floral dress and cardigan on.

"Ella? What's going on?" The head teacher asked with a smile.

"Miss Clarke." Sam greeted as she shook the woman's hand.

"I'm a very busy woman Mrs Kent so-"

"Well then can I schedule an appointment to talk to you when you have the time?" Sam sighed.

"Yes, of course. I'm free this afternoon from 3:30pm onwards." She nodded.

"Well then, Ella will not be attending the rest of this school day because she isn't well, and I shall see you later." Sam said briefly before she walked off with Ella who was rather embarrassed. She got into the car and Ella sat down on the black towel that Sam had put in the passenger seat just in case.

"Are we going to the hospital?" Ella asked finally.

"Nope. I'm taking you home; we need to talk about this a bit more and then I'm going to try and sort it out with the head teacher this afternoon." Sam replied as she pulled out of the car park.

"But how?"

* * *

Ella was sat nervously at the breakfast bar whilst her Dad prepared dinner and she awaited her mother's return from the meeting with the head teacher.

"I got your text, why didn't I have to walk home with Ella?" Daniel asked as he came in and dumped his school bag on the counter.

"Because she got sent home from school. She had a headache and you know what primary schools are like; they can't even give out paracetamol." Tom replied after glancing at a daughter.

"Oh, you feeling alright now?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, much better thanks." Ella forced a smile when she jumped as the front door opened.

"Daniel, can you go and tidy your pigsty of a bedroom?" Tom ordered so Daniel grabbed an apple and then plodded upstairs so that Sam, Ella and Tom could talk. "How did it go?" He asked.

"Pretty good, I think." Sam admitted. "Right, I've spoken to Miss Clarke about your disease and she's agreed that if you want to, you can take off the days when you're on. And if you do agree, then she'll tell your teachers that if you email them for work, they can send it to you but they won't have to know why. So, when you're on, you'll still have to come with me and Dad at work, but you can wear your own clothes, sit on a dark towel or something and do the work." Sam explained. "It's only an exceptional case and we'll have to sort something different out when you go to secondary school in September. But to be honest, I know you're going to think it's bad but there's not much else doctors can do for you about the heavy bleeding."

"It's okay, thank you." Ella said gratefully as she got up and hugged her mother.

"So you wanna take time off yeah?" Sam questioned.

"Definitely. Everyone was laughing at me when it happened and it was really embarrassing."

"I know, hopefully it won't happen again." Sam said sympathetically. "Tell you what, I want to start you on the pill." Sam stated.

"Isn't that what prostitutes use so that they don't get pregnant?" Ella asked confusedly.

"God, the rubbish you hear at school these days is unreal." Sam exclaimed.

"Basically, in your case, it'll hopefully lighten the bleeding, and it will help us to know when your periods are going to be exactly to the day, so that then we can prepare and give you clotting factor the day before you start." Tom explained. "It'll just be a little tablet you have to take every morning but we'll remind you to take it." He added.

"Thank you, by the way." Ella said quietly to her father.

"For what?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Mum said you were the one who noticed the sofa in the staffroom yesterday. And that you covered it up and then got mum for me."

"It's alright. I'm just glad I could help." Tom smiled.

"What's for dinner by the way?" Sam asked.

"My famous chicken korma and lamb rogan josh curries with pilau rice and naan bread." Tom stated proudly.

"Then how come I can't smell curry?" Sam stated confusedly.

"Because I've only just started preparing my ingredients. Calm down woman, give me a chance!" Tom laughed.

* * *

**Coming up: A canine member of the family passes away and Sam is devastated at the loss. Tom tries to find a way to cheer her up when it comes around to her birthday and he books her a surprise.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :) Also, I know I've said about Sam injecting Ella before but I've only just realised about how clotting factor is given so please ignore my previous mistake :)**


	67. Chapter 67

**Sunday 1st July 2029, 7:30am**

Tom wasn't fully awake but he fancied a cuddle with his wife but as he turned over in the double bed, he hit the bare mattress rather than his wife's soft skin. That rendered him unable to get back to sleep because he was fully rested and he didn't have anything to do. So he got up, had a stretch and then went downstairs only his heart broke when he saw his wife kneeling on the carpet in the living room with Shadow lying on the floor in front of her on her side with her eyes closed. Sam hadn't noticed him but she was silently sobbing as she took short, quick pants and then a few deep breaths as she tried to compose herself but she'd then began breathing erratically again as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Sam, I'm so sorry sweetheart." Tom said as he knelt down besides her and put his arm around her shoulders. The two females had been through a lot together, for one they'd both had their first pregnancy together, then Shadow had been protective of Daniel and Ella all of her life and had had puppies - one of which saved her son's life from a dangerous dog - and Shadow had saved Sam when she was in her first trimester of being pregnant with Daniel from the same dog and if it hadn't have been for her, Daniel might've never been born.

"Can you um, take her to the vets and get her cremated please?" Sam requested. "I don't want the kids to see her and I'll just be a quivering mess." Sam managed to say what she needed to but the lump in her throat took over before she started crying again so she wrapped her arms around Tom's neck and he hugged her back as tight as he could to give her some comfort.

"Of course I can, if that's what you want." Tom whispered as he gently rubbed a hand up and down her back. "But just remember, she's 14 years old, she's had a good life and it would've been in her sleep with no pain." Tom said reassuringly.

"Can you um, jut tell the kids that I'm ill or something and not to bother me please?" Sam asked. "I'm gonna go back to bed for a while."

"Sam, they're old enough to know that people need time to grieve and I'm old enough to know that you're not going back to bed, you're just going to shut yourself away... They're going to be upset as well so they'll know how you feel. Heck I'm even gonna miss her."

"Can you please just go?" Sam choked out and he knew Sam would rarely admit that she needed him, but he knew how to recognise when she said something but she meant the opposite, and this was not one of those times.

"Sure." Tom nodded before he reached behind him and laid out a large, purple blanket with white cartoon bones all over it, on the carpet in front of him. He ever so gently lifted the lifeless animal across the carpet and placed it down on the bottom half of the blanket before he folded the top half of it over the body to cover it up. "I'll just go and get changed and then I'll go to the same place that they did Zoe." Tom stated as he got to his feet.

"Pay extra." Sam croaked.

"What?"

"Do what we did last time, pay extra so that she's in the furnace by herself and not mixed in with other animals." Sam ordered.

"Of course." Tom nodded.

* * *

**10:30am**

Ten year old Ella was sitting at the breakfast bar doing a crossword puzzle to pass the time when her fourteen year old brother strolled down in his pyjamas and grabbed the orange house carton out of the fridge which he took a gulp from and then replaced back on the shelf.

"You're disgusting." She grimaced.

"And you're way too OCD about everything." Daniel quipped. "Where's Mum and Dad?"

"Um, Mum is still sleeping and Dad must've taken Shadow out." Ella replied as she had knocked on her parent's door but that had only given a sobbing Sam time to climb under the duvet and close her eyes.

"Hallelujah! I got out of bed before mum!" Daniel exclaimed and Ella couldn't help but smile at the announcement because it was quite an achievement for him.

"Do you think something's wrong with mum? She's never been in bed for this long before and she always goes to the gym on a Sunday morning because that's when it's at it's quietest."

"Mum's fine. It's not illegal to have a lie in." Daniel stated and Ella let out a sigh of relief when she heard the front door open because she wasn't used to having no adult supervision.

"Where's Shadow?" Ella demanded alertly as her father came in the front door.

"I need to have a chat with you and Daniel." Tom said sternly. "Is he out of bed yet?"

"What sort of lazy person do you take me for?" Daniel shouted from the kitchen but he, unlike Ella, hadn't seen his father's solemn face.

"Why? What's wrong? Is it Mum?" Ella asked worriedly.

"No sweetheart, your mum's fine." Tom stated and he looked as Daniel padded in and so he took a deep breath. "You need to understand that Shadow was a very old dog and that it wouldn't have been painful at all okay... She passed away in her sleep this morning." Tom explained softly.

"No." Ella whispered.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you've got to remember that she has had such a happy life." Tom said as his daughter fell into his arms so he gave her a tight hug whilst Daniel stood and contemplated the event.

"How're you gonna tell mum?" Daniel asked to break the silence eventually. "She loves Shadow more than any of the other dogs we've ever had."

"Your mum already knows." Tom said gently. "I came downstairs this morning and she was sitting with Shadow where she'd found her. Where is your mum?" Tom asked concernedly.

"In the bedroom, but I thought she was asleep." Ella stated as she pulled apart and Tom's face fell when he realised that Ella had a tear rolling down each cheek; much like her mother, Ella rarely cried.

"Well she asked for some time alone this morning so she's probably just trying to think things over." Tom stated. "Listen, people deal with grief in different ways, some people like to be by themselves, others can't stand being alone so you do whatever will help you deal with what's happened." Tom said softly.

"I don't want to be by myself." Ella sobbed.

"I'm not gonna leave you darling." Tom said reassuringly. "Why don't you two go upstairs and get dressed while I check on your mum, and you can pick out a few DVDs that we can watch to take our minds off it yeah?" Tom suggested and the kids nodded so he walked upstairs and they went to their room so Tom slowly opened his bedroom door and closed it behind him. "Right, I kept that for you." Tom said softly to his wife who was lying in bed with red, puffy eyes clutching one of _his_ pillows in her arms, as he placed Shadow's purple collar on her bedside table. "The vets will ring within 72 hours and I'll go pick the ashes up." Tom explained and Sam gave a small nod so that he knew she'd listened to him. "I've told the kids so I think we're just going to watch movies all day and eat popcorn or whatever to keep them occupied alright?"

"Mmhmm." She mumbled.

"I'll bring you up some breakfast in a little while, what do you want?" Tom asked softly as he crouched down besides her side of the bed.

"I don't care." Sam mumbled.

"Well I'll bring you up a couple of bits so you can eat them whenever you want." Tom stated as he knew he wasn't getting much out of her so he slowly backed up and left the room to comfort his children whom he knew would want his presence unlike Sam who understandably wanted some time alone.

* * *

**A/N If you want to see the place Sam and Tom are staying at, just google 'Seaglass Cornwall' and it's on the 'unique home stays' website :) **

* * *

**Friday 24th August 2029**

It was a couple of days before Sam's birthday and almost two months since Shadow's death and though Sam continued on like normal, she did occasionally have to go outside at work to get some air or have some time to herself but she was dealing with it well. Saying that, Ella and Daniel hadn't actually been as bad as Tom and thought they'd be, though he guessed it was probably because they still had Alex and Panda to play with.

But it was Sam's 43rd birthday and it was also going to be Sam and Tom's 15th wedding anniversary in December so he decided to so something for just the two of them, without the fuss of having to look after the kids or the dogs so that they could focus solely on each other - and Sam was yet to find out. Sam drove her husband home from work just like any other day but once Sam had stepped out of the car, she was greeted with her two children, the two dogs and Tom's red range rover sport was filled with suitcases and bags in the back seats from what she could see.

"What's going on?" Sam queried.

"Well, it's your birthday next Wednesday so we decided to give you a little surprise and it's a bit of an early anniversary present for the two of us too." Tom stated. "Now you know I can organise holidays because I've done it before so all I ask, is that you say good bye to the kids, take my hand and get in the passenger seat of my car and let me drive." Tom grinned.

"They're not staying at home by themselves are they?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Fletch quipped as he came out of Sam's front door pulling Ella's suitcase. "They're coming to live with us for the weekend, as are the dogs." He stated. Daniel's secondary school was just down the road from Ella's primary school so usually they would walk home together and then Daniel would be in charge until Sam and Tom got back from work.

"Oh um..."

"Just say goodbye to the kids!" Tom laughed as his dumbfounded wife whilst he opened the passenger car door for her.

"Be good for me, and don't wind Uncle Fletch up too much." Sam smiled as she simultaneously hugged her children.

"How much is 'too much'?" Daniel asked cheekily and Sam chuckled slightly as she pulled apart.

"Um, I'll ring you or skype you or whatever I can okay?"

"Mum just go!" Daniel ordered.

"In you get." Tom smiled as his wife sat down in the passenger seat of his car before he put a travel pillow and folded up blanket on her lap and closed the door but the window was wide open so she gave Ella a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on." Sam smiled and Daniel reluctantly, leant in and let his mother kiss him on the cheek too.

"Right, we'll see you both on Monday okay?" Tom said as he hugged both of his kids at the same time.

"Yep, have a good time." Ella smiled.

"But not _too_ good." Daniel added and Tom gave him a stern look as to say 'not with your sister here' because his son obviously knew what his parents would get up to on a mini-getaway.

"Bye." Tom said finally before he went and got in the car. He started the engine and after final goodbyes, Sam and Tom set off to their destination.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as they got to the end of their cul-de-sac.

"I wondered how long you'd last before you asked that." Tom laughed.

"Well?"

"I was thinking off going somewhere like the Maldives but it's like a 10 hour flight and I only wanted us to have a little holiday for the weekend and it wouldn't be worth going abroad for that long."

"So we're staying in England." Sam concluded. "Is it... The Lake District?"

"Nope. Cornwall." Tom stated. "We've got a cabin on the seafront in the middle of nowhere." He stated smugly. "Trust me, it's a beautiful, beautiful place. It's a short walk down to the beach, there's a outside shower with enough room for two people, a log burner, BBQ, veranda, and all the walls of the cabin that face the ocean are pretty much bi-fold doors so you can open the wall right up and just get some nice fresh air while you're lying in bed, looking up through the glass ceiling at the stars."

"Tom that sounds great." Sam said gratefully.

"And best of all, there's no kids." Tom joked.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"About two hours. So we'll get there around 7pm, but I'll get the BBQ going straight away; you don't mind a bit of a late dinner do you?"

"No, I had a big lunch."

"Well then Mrs Kent, sit back and relax." Tom smiled.

* * *

"Sleepy head... Come on, wakey wakey." Tom smiled as his wife slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into his. "We're here and we're all unpacked. Dinner's going to be about twenty minutes."

"What?"

"I've already got the BBQ going." He chuckled as Sam slowly got out of the car and then had a good stretch. It was fairly light because it was only August but all Sam could see in front of her was the modern beach hut. As she walked around the side of it with Tom, she was awestruck by the incredible view they had where their decking ended; there was a sandy beach, then the ocean and a full moon was beginning to appear. They had a 180° panoramic view of the bay in front of them and there wasn't another building in sight.

"Wow." Sam whispered.

"I'm good at this holiday stuff aren't I? Maybe I should take it up for a living." Tom quipped as he took her hand and sat her down at a table and chairs for two, but with the view on one side of her, she looked to the other where there was the bedroom and living room with a single white wall separating them, and the bi-folding doors had been opened. Everything was coloured with pale blues or whites, and it looked incredible.

"Maybe you should." Sam nodded.

"Right, that's our little hamper. They charge about £120 for a gift basket with jam and scones and a few sweets so I made one for us, and it's got all of our favourites in it and of course, a bottle of champagne." Tom stated as as he placed a wicker rectangular basket in front of her. She opened it to reveal it packed with little bits and pieces that she liked to nibble at when she would allow herself to have unhealthy food and then a green bottle with gold foil on it and two champagne flutes.

"Tom this is such a nice idea, thank you." Sam said gratefully.

"Well I just thought you could do with cheering up after what happened with Shadow." Tom said as he stood by the BBQ, not far from her to check on their dinner. He had brought all of the food (and alcohol) that they would need for the week in the car so that they wouldn't have to leave the place until it was time to go home. "Plus, I know how difficult it is for us to try and get some time alone without being worried about getting caught." He added and Sam smiled as she looked over at the double bed when she noticed two boxes of condoms, one that had dotted condoms, and the other that was rigged, both for extra stimulation and next to them was a small red bottle of Sweet Strawberry Play lubricant, all by Durex.

"How many do you think we're gonna need!" Sam laughed. "There's like 12 in each box and we're only here for the weekend aren't we?"

"Yeah, we leave on Monday morning but you never know, I wouldn't want us to run out." Tom smirked.

* * *

Later on, both were naked after a love making session that had gone on, and on and on. But they had closed the cabin up for the night and laid under the thin duvet as they stared up into the dark night sky with glistening stars dotted around it through the thin glass ceiling.

"I've been thinking," Tom began. "And, I know it's what I've done for your birthday before but I wasn't sure if you'd like the idea or not, but if was thinking that if you want to, we could get another dog." Tom explained. "It wouldn't have to be a border collie, or it won't even have to be a puppy, we could get a rescue dog or something like that-"

"Tom, it's too soon." Sam interrupted as she kept her eye on one particular pulsating star that fascinated her. "Maybe in a few years time... But not now."

"Okay." Tom nodded as he put one arm around her shoulders.

"Y'know I think you're right."

"About?" Tom questioned.

"Bringing two boxes. We probably will need them." Sam stated before she launched herself on top of her husband and kissed him passionately. He smiled as he didn't break the deal between their lips whilst he reached besides him and grabbed one of the ribbed condoms which he had found brought new pleasure for both of them. And they made love once more under the stars.

* * *

**Monday 27th August 2029**

As usual, Ella and Daniel were walking home from school together and where heading for Fletch's house because that was where they were staying when they suddenly noticed Tom's car on their driveway.

"Mum and Dad're back!" Ella exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to the front door. She opened the front door, threw her bag down and then ran up and hugged her mother.

"You alright mate?" Tom asked as he hugged his son.

"Yeah. How was your holiday?"

"It was good yeah, though your mum was too scared to dip her toes in the sea." Tom chuckled.

"That's because the water was freezing!" Sam protested. "There's some fudge and shortbread in the kitchen for the two of you to share; we got it from a village shop along the coast."

"Ooh!" Daniel grinned as he walked through into the kitchen whilst Ella had only just released her mother.

"I missed you." She stated as she reached up and hugged her father.

"Yeah, we missed you too." Sam smiled. "How was school today?"

"Fletch dropped us off but we were nearly late because Daniel wouldn't get up." Ella stated.

"Snitch." Daniel shouted with a mouth full of food.

"Trust me, he'll get up tomorrow or I'll throw cold water over him." Sam smiled.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Trust me Daniel, she would." Tom grinned. "And if your mum doesn't, then I will." He added.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam has a health scare when she finds a lump, but will her fears be unfound? Or is there really a cause for concern?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	68. Chapter 68

**Tuesday 28th August 2029**

It was their first day back at work after their mini-getaway and Sam had just come out of the ensuite with a towel wrapped around her after having a shower, where she found Tom getting dressed in the bedroom.

"Morning." Tom smiled.

"Morning." Sam replied briefly.

"You okay? You seem a bit... Uncharacteristically quiet."

"I um... I'm gonna book myself for a mammogram; I found a lump on my breast." Sam admitted.

"Can I have a look?" Tom asked concernedly and Sam nodded so he walked over before she pulled her towel down slightly on one side.

"I just noticed it when I was washing." Sam stated as Tom brushed his thumb over her soft skin where he found a hard lump on her left breast just above her areola. It wasn't rock solid, but it was certainly harder than the rest of her skin and there was a definite area that stuck up above the rest.

"Does it hurt when I touch it?" Tom asked curiously and Sam shook her head. "Have you had any achy feelings?"

"Nothing that I haven't associated with PMS." Sam replied as she pulled her towel back up.

"And have you had any discharge or bleeding from your nipple?"

"No."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Tom said reassuringly.

"And if it's not?"

"Then we'll just have to see how it goes." Tom replied.

* * *

"I've just rung up and there's a slot free at 10am to get a mammogram." Sam informed her husband quietly as they met at the nurses station.

"Oh right, I'll go and ask Zoe if I can-"

"No, it's fine. I want to go by myself, you don't need to come."

"Sam you need-"

"Tom, honestly. It'll just be a scan and then a physical examination and I won't get any results back just yet. I'll be fine."

"Okay. But let me know how you get on yeah?"

"I will." Sam nodded.

* * *

"Zoe, can I have a word?" Sam asked as she poked her head around the office door where unluckily, Connie was also working.

"Yeah side, come in." Zoe nodded so Sam stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"I was wondering if I could switch my break from 11 o'clock to 10 o'clock." Sam began.

"Why?" Zoe questioned.

"I've got an emergency mammogram booked." Sam admitted and that made Connie raise her head from looking at her paperwork, to look at the doctor in front of her. "I found a lump this morning so I'm gonna get it checked out." Sam added.

"Oh, right. Well yeah of course. Take your break earlier." Zoe nodded. "I hope it's nothing to worry about."

"So do I." Sam muttered as she left the room.

* * *

"How was it?" Tom asked as his wife entered cubicles after taking a break

"Painful." Sam grimaced.

"Really?" Tom asked worriedly.

"It's not a symptom you idiot. Mammograms are always painful, they compress your breast and then you have to stay still for half an hour." Sam complained.

"Oh right. So when are you going to get your results?"

"I've got another appointment at 4:30pm. Can you come with me please?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, of course I will." Tom smiled. "Listen whatever the results show-"

"Please don't give me some crawly pep talk a it we're in this together, it'll be alright blah blah blah."

"Actually, I was going to say if you need another examination I'll give it to you." Tom winked.

"Only _you_ could joke about in a situation like this." Sam moaned.

* * *

"Mrs Kent, I have your results and I'm happy to tell you it's almost certainly good news." The doctor smiled as Sam and Tom sat before him in the office holding each other's hand for support.

"What do you mean 'almost certainly'?" Sam asked worriedl

"Well, from what we can see, it's not cancerous, it's not a cyst and it's not a benign tumour. All it is, is a lump of flesh. Sometimes breasts can get more firm and harder days before your period so that could be a contributing factor. All I can say now, is to go home, and if the lump isn't gone within a month then come back. But I'm sure it'll fade away in the next fortnight." He explained.

"And if it doesn't go in a month?" Sam asked.

"Then we'll send you for further tests. But try not to worry Mrs Kent, I see hundreds of these sorts of cases every year and nothing ever comes out of them."

"Come on, you've got the all clear. Let's just go home." Tom said as he gave her hand a little squeeze and after thanking the doctor, they left the room and went out into the corridor. "That was scary wasn't it?" Tom said softly as he gave his wife a hug.

"Pft. Me? Scared? You're having a laugh aren't you?" Sam joked unconvincingly and Tom smiled as he put his arms around her shoulders and walked her down to the car park.

* * *

**Friday 31st August 2029, 7pm**

"What's all of this about?" Fourteen year old Daniel asked worriedly as he and a ten year old Ella had been called for a 'grown up' talk with their parents about something that they were to be sensible about. He and Ella were sitting at the breakfast bar, whilst Sam and Tom stood on her other side of it, leaning against the counter.

"Right, well you might have done something about this on biology Daniel but Ella, you won't know much about it. We need to talks to both of you about hereditary conditions." Tom explained.

"The thing is, you both know about Ella's Van Willebrand disease, but what you don't know, is that you got it from me and dad." Sam stated. "There's a gene for the disease, but the gene needs to come from both of the parents for the child to have the disease, so Ella you got it from me and dad, unintentionally of course, but that's how it happened. But because of that, that means that Ella, if you ever have children, that means that they'll either have the condition just like you do, or they'll be a carrier. Which means that they can pass it on to their children."

"Am I a carrier?" Daniel asked concernedly as they watched Ella take the information in.

"No. We did genetic testing when you two were younger and Daniel, you haven't got the gene at all." Tom stated.

"So I can't have a healthy baby?" Ella asked.

"Well, you can have a baby that won't have the disease, but it will carry it in it's genes which means that the baby wouldn't present symptoms, but it could pass the disease on to their child if their partner carried the gene too." Sam stated. "Look, we're only telling you this because we don't want to keep it as a big secret, but we wanted you to both be old enough to understand what we're saying. And Ella it doesn't mean that you can't have children because you know that the condition can be managed. And granted, it's slightly more complicated for girls, but if you had a son, he would live an almost normal life."

"Do you understand what we're trying to say sweetheart?" Tom asked.

"Yeah." Ella slowly nodded.

"Can I go back to my room now?" Daniel asked.

"Yes you can." Tom nodded so Daniel disappeared from the kitchen and headed upstairs.

"Do you have any questions?" Sam asked.

"Could I even have a baby with my condition?" Ella asked. "I know about myself mum, I have less than 10% of the clotting factor in my blood that I should have."

"Ella, you know what medicine is like these days. Sure, there is a slightly higher risk of complications and it would be difficult to give you clotting factor when you're pregnant, plus the birth would be messy, but there's no reason that you couldn't have a baby."

"I'm going for a bath." Ella muttered before she slid off of her stool and also left the room, leaving Sam to frown.

"She had to be told Sam." Tom said reassuringly. "She just needs time for it to set in, give it a day or two and she'll have forgotten all about it."

"Mm." Sam forced a reply.

"You okay?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I've just got a bit of a stomach ache."

"You're on, aren't you?" He asked and Sam gave a bit of a nod. "Go and get into bed, I'll bring your hot water bottle up." He said as he flicked the kettle on.

"I um, I just thought you should know that... I think I'm in the early stages of menopause." Sam admitted.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Tom asked softly.

"My periods are irregular, they're like every 6-7 weeks the first time I was late I thought I was pregnant but... I don't know."

"Maybe you should go and see your GP just to make sure it's not something else making you late." Tom suggested. "Or you could do a blood test and work just to check." He added.

"D'ya know what? I think I will do that on Monday." Sam nodded.

"Go on, go and get into bed. I'll be up in a minute." Tom smiled and soon, they were both cuddled up in bed with Sam's hot water bottle on her abdomen to relieve her cramps before they soon slipped off into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam suffers as she goes through peri-menopause whilst Tom does everything he can do to help her.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	69. Chapter 69

**Tuesday 11th September 2029**

Menopause. The one word that Sam detested the most at that moment. Once she had given birth to Daniel and Ella, she had looked forward to it; no more periods - what's not to like? But she had been juvenile then, she hadn't taken into account that some women had an absolute ball with menopause; they just stopped their periods and that was that. But other woman had it much, much worse. They had hot flushes and night sweats, loss of libido, vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex, palpitations, headaches, mood changes, such as depression, anxiety or tiredness, sleeping problems, such as insomnia and urinary tract infections. And Sam fell into that category.

After feeling a fluttering sensation in her chest, Sam had jogged into the staffroom to hide herself away from her colleagues as the fluttering feeling soon turned into a burning one and Sam's entire chest, neck and face flushed red. She could literally feel the heat radiating out of her skin as she endured the hot flush and all she could do was splash cold water over her face by the sink.

"You poor thing." Sam jumped as a hand was placed on her back but she continued with the rinsing of water when she realised that it was her husband.

"Sam? Tom? What're you two doing in here? We're a bit busy out there if you haven't noticed." Zoe stated as she came in.

"Sorry I-"

"No, don't be sorry." Tom interrupted his wife. "It's not your fault." He added as she dried her face with paper towels.

"What's not?" Zoe asked hesitantly.

"The fact that she's turned into a tomato and she needed to cool down." Tom chuckled quietly as Sam reluctantly turned around to show Zoe her flushed skin.

"Is it peri-menopause?" Zoe questioned.

"Yep." Sam relied bluntly.

"Oh I feel for you. When I went through it, it was absolute hell. I couldn't sleep at all, I just kept on waking up with night sweats." Zoe said sympathetically.

"She can't sleep either." Tom said softly as he rubbed his hand up and down Sam's back. "She's up all night tossing and turning."

"Well, ask your GP about antidepressants. They can be used to treat hot flushes, and that'll help you to sleep better. Plus they'll help with any mood swings or anxiety." Zoe suggested.

"I have suggested that but she won't touch 'happy pills'." Tom quipped.

"Have you tried Hormone Replacement Therapy?"

"That's what her GP has suggested as a next move if we can't get symptoms under control within the next few weeks." Tom replied. "Right, you ready to get back to work?" Tom asked his wife.

"Mmhmm." She mumbled reluctantly because her boss was there, and they all headed back to get on with their jobs.

* * *

**6pm**

In the evening, Sam wanted to get some exercise so she, Tom and their 10 year old daughter were taking Panda and Alex out for a walk in Victoria Park, which was actually several fields next to each other, so they were away from the hustle and bustle of Holby City, and in a nice quiet green area. And of course, their 14 year old son had far more important things to be doing than go walking with his family, so he had gone bowling with some of his friends.

Sam and Tom were slowly strolling next to each other whilst Ella ran about playing fetch with the dogs and Sam envied her own daughter as she couldn't risk running about, for she could trigger a hot flush and that was the last thing that she wanted.

"Mum." Suddenly, Sam turned around to see that her daughter had blood dripping down her nose, over her lips and then off of her chin as she quickly made her way over to her parents.

"Have you got any tissues?" Tom asked as he didn't bother trying to calm his daughter like he used to do; she was used to nosebleeds by then and didn't need calming.

"No, I didn't bring a bag with me." Sam admitted. "Hang on." Sam grinned as she reached into her pocket and then took out a single tampon from her jeans that she had had in her pocket because she had worn those trousers to work and she was always cautious of starting because her periods were so irregular.

"Are you being serious?!" Ella laughed.

"What? It's designed to absorb blood." Sam said innocently. "Seriously, just use it. It's clean." Sam stated so Ella reluctantly took it and unwrapped it. And within seconds, Sam and Tom burst out laughing as Ella stood with a tampon sticking out of the nostril that blood had been dripping out of. "Tom get a picture of this." Sam laughed.

"No! Don't you dare!" Ella protested as she turned away and leant forwards to stop the flow of blood.

"Good girl." Tom said softly as he rubbed Ella's back in a circular motion whilst she waited for the bleeding to stop. Only whilst Tom had his attention on his daughter, he failed to notice that his wife was having another hot flush and as it took over her entire upper half of her body she tried to take off her zipped jumper but the sudden surge of heat caused her to feel a bit light headed and she was unable to undo the simple zip.

"Tom." Sam managed to mumble and he turned around to see his wife struggling with her hands and she could barely open her eyes because she felt lightheaded.

"Sam? Sam it's okay. You're okay. It's alright, I've got it." Tom said reassuringly as he unzipped the jumper, pulled it off of her and put it over his shoulder leaving his wife in a tight white camisole vest that showed that even at 45, she still had the body of a young adult.

"Mum?" Ella questioned.

"Don't worry Ella, she's fine. She just needs to go home and lie in bed with a nice cold bottle of water and the fan on. Does that sound good to you?" Tom asked his wife.

"Why did we have to walk so far?" Sam joked halfheartedly.

"So that I could be your knight in shining armour." Tom replied quietly as he slipped his arms under the backs of her knees and then the other arm underneath her arm and around her back so that he could pick her up, and carry her bridal style.

"You won't be able to carry me the whole way." Sam stated. "Just put me down, I can walk."

"Yes, but the chances are high that you'll have another hot flush if you start walking, that's what caused the one you just had so I'm taking you home." Tom said sternly. "Ella, are you alright now?" Tom asked the girl who had just taken the tampon out of her nostril.

"Yeah, I think it's stopped. Is mum going to be okay?"

"Mum is right here and she can hear you." Sam quipped.

"She's got a very serious condition called 'sarcastic-itis'." Tom joked. "Can you just make sure the dogs follow us yeah? Your mum is fine." Tom said reassuringly before he kissed Sam on the forehead and began to walk her back to their car which was over a mile away.

* * *

"Don't you think carrying me from the car to the bedroom was a little bit pretentious?" Sam asked as her husband gently laid her on the mattress in their bedroom that hadn't had a duvet over it in months.

"When are you gonna just accept that we all need looking after sometimes?" Tom asked as he switched the fan on her bedside cabinet on so that it would keep her upper half, which was the part of her body affected by hot flushes, cool.

"Never." Sam replied smugly as she laid out with her arms and legs separated slightly to prevent heat from building up.

"Right, what do you want? I'll get you a cold bottle of water but do you want anything else?" He asked kindly.

"An ice lolly wouldn't go amiss." Sam admitted.

"You mean the 'diabetes on a stick' that the kids beg you for?" Tom grinned. "I'll be right back." He smiled as he kissed her on the forehead and then headed downstairs where he found his son and daughter in the kitchen making a hot chocolate each.

"Is mum alright?" Daniel asked as he had just seen Tom carry her upstairs and then he'd heard the description of what had happened to Sam in the park from Ella.

"Yeah, it's just... Well this is the one time that I'm gonna let you google a condition because I can't be bothered to explain it to you." Tom began. "She's going through menopause, and it's going to take a while but she just needs a bit of help now and then if she has a flare up in her symptoms." Tom stated and Daniel of course took out his iPhone.

"It's not anything serious is it?" He asked worriedly as he opened safari.

"No, it's just something all woman go through." Tom stated as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and an ice lolly before he headed upstairs. Meanwhile, Daniel got the NHS page for menopause to come up on his screen and had to show Ella what it was too as she pestered him to see. And he wasn't really bothered about what his mum was going through until he began to read through some of the comments about how some women were suffering so much and how awful it was for them to go through that he began to sympathise for his mother.

"What do you think we can do to make her feel better?" Ella asked innocently.

"Physically? I don't think there's anything we can do to stop the symptoms but doing things like keeping the place tidy and doing as she says might help her feel a bit better rather than ignoring her constant nagging to tidy our rooms." Daniel admitted.

"My room is always tidy; it's yours that she tells you to tidy because you can't even see the carpet in there." Ella replied. "But I think I annoy mum a bit when when I ask for her to sign off my reading in my contact book because she has to listen to me read the whole book." Ella admitted.

"Well maybe if you help me tidy my room, then I'll help you with your reading, and any other homework that you have." Daniel offered as he knew that his sister's year 7 homework would be easy for him to handle.

"Okay, deal." Ella nodded as she held out her hand which Daniel shook.

* * *

"Right, I know I've been putting sex off for ages so I think I'm up for it tonight." Sam said to her husband who had been lying next to her on the bed, reading a book, so that she wasn't by herself and she had some company.

"Well I'm not up for it Sam, because I know it hurts you." Tom said sternly. "You don't need to pretend you're okay with it because you think I'm not getting any so I must be getting annoyed with you, but I'm not. I don't want to do something that causes you pain." Tom stated.

"I'm not doing it for _you_ this time, _I_ want us to." Sam pleaded and Tom could see the desperation in her eyes; she certainly hadn't been affected by loss of libido.

"Are you sure?" Tom asked and Sam nodded straight away. "Alright then, we'll wait until the kids go to bed, and if it's still what you want then we can do it." Tom smiled. "We'll use plenty of this okay? And if it starts to hurt you, I want you to tell me straight away, even if we've just started." He added as he took out the bottle of silicone lubricant from his draw.

"I will." Sam nodded.

* * *

Tom smiled as he laid on his side, facing his wife who had fallen asleep waiting for her kids to go to bed. He knew she wouldn't mind being woken up to make love as she had wanted to, but he didn't want to wake her; he never woke her because to Sam, good sleep was valuable and rare. Suddenly, she began tossing and Tom placed a hand just above her bust where a hot flush usually started and he felt that she was warm so he gently lifted her head up and flipped her pillow over in an attempt to prevent her from waking up because every night, he placed an ice pack underneath her pillow, and then when she turned the pillow over, she would have a cold, fresh material on the back of her neck which she could do throughout the night.

Thankfully, within moments of her skin touching the cool material, she stopped fidgeting and then nuzzled the side of her face into the pillow which caused him to smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Daniel was lying on Ella's bed with his sister besides him as she closed the Five Go Off To Camp, by Enid Blyton after reading the last few chapters to her brother to get her next reading award at school.

"You're a really good reader for your age y'know."

"Really?" Ella questioned.

"Yeah. You read so fluently when half of my class dread having to read out to the class because they take ten minutes to read a tiny paragraph." Daniel said as he signed Ella's reading card and then climbed off of her bed.

"Thank you. I'll help you tidy your room tomorrow after school." Ella stated.

"I'll try and get rid of anything that moves in there, by tomorrow then." Daniel joked but Ella wasn't sure if he was being serious of not as he walked out of her room because she knew how disgusting his room was most of the time. Nevertheless, after putting her book back into her school bag to take back to the school library the next day, Ella went and brushed her teeth and got ready for bed without her mother having to tell her to do so because she was growing up and she wanted to be more independent. However, the only reason her mother hadn't already come and told her to get ready for bed was because she was exhausted and had fallen asleep herself.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam's relieved when her menopausal symptoms disappear, but when she begins to feel nauseous, she suspects that something other than ageing is the cause of all of it. But she and Tom both come to the same immediate conclusion and make a tough decision.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	70. Chapter 70

**I'd just like to thank BlazeTheWolfie for giving me this idea :)**

**Also, I have to admit that I haven't stopped fangirling since yesterday after I found out that ROSIE MARCEL IS PREGNANT! I can't believe it! And I'm so happy for her! Anyway, thanks for reading :D**

* * *

**Friday 5th October 2029, 7am**

"Mum I-" Ella was just about to inform her mother that she had cleared the kitchen up from last night's dinner and found her mother's watch on the side when she noticed that she was sitting on the edge of her bed with a white stick in her hands whilst her father was in the ensuite taking a shower. "Oh my god, are you having another baby?" Ella asked excitedly.

"What? No, Ella you weren't meant to- I mean I... Look I don't think I'm keeping it." Sam admitted eventually.

"What? You're going to have an abortion?"

"Well I'm not sure yet. I need to speak to your dad first."

"But why?"

"Because I'm old and I'm happy with you and Daniel. Besides, I've already started menopause, and that means that my body is no longer capable of carrying a baby safely so the risks of complications and deformities at this age are much higher." Sam explained. "Look, keep it to yourself for now okay. I need to decide what I'm going to do. Just go and get ready for school." Sam ordered so Ella slowly backed out of the room as she didn't want to upset her mother who had rapid mood swings because of menopause.

* * *

Sam was sitting on the edge of her bed, just waiting for Tom to come out when finally the door clicked open and Tom exited the ensuite with just a towel around his waist.

"We need to talk." Sam ordered shakily as she held the stick in her hands and after glancing at it, Tom closed the bedroom door to prevent any earwigging.

"How? I mean I..."

"I don't know." Sam shrugged. "I hadn't had a period in 8 weeks and I'd thought that I'd stopped my periods altogether and that was it but I started to feel a bit sick yesterday morning and it just got me worried." She explained nervously. "Tom we can't keep it, I can't have a baby at my age." Sam said pleadingly.

"Alright, alright. Calm down."

"I mean, there's the risk of it having Von Willebrand disease or of it being a carrier. And then there's the risk of an atrial septal defect. What if-"

"Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam, will you calm down!" Tom ordered softly as he placed his hands on her upper arms to prevent her from pacing around the room. "You don't have to convince me. I think we both agree we're too old and settled to have another baby and we both know the solution don't we? Do you want me to book you an termination?" He asked and Sam nodded. "Alright, I'll ring up the clinic and see what I can get, I take it I'll be allowed to come with you yeah?" He asked.

"Yeah, I _want_ you to come with me." Sam nodded.

"Alright, everything's going to be okay." Tom said reassuringly as he pulled her into his chest.

* * *

Thankfully, after speaking to Zoe but without giving her the specific reason, Sam and Tom made their way to gynaecology and obstetrics for the appointment. And Sam found it so ironic that on the same ward, babies were born into the world, but they were also taken away too.

"Mrs Kent?" A friendly doctor greeted Sam and Tom before they both went to the consult room where the couple sat before a desk and discussed her situation, her health, her gestation and finally, her options. "Right Mrs Kent, with no disrespect, at your age and because you have already begun menopause, I'm afraid it would be recommended that you don't have a medical abortion, which involves using medication to dispel the foetus because your uterus may not be capable of getting rid of everything that it needs to." She explained whilst Tom held Sam's hand tightly. "What I would like to offer is a surgical aspiration abortion. It involves inserting a tube into the uterus through the vagina and removing the pregnancy using suction. It'll be carried out under a general anaesthetic. And most women go home a few hours later." She explained.

"When can it be done?" Sam demanded.

"Well, if I have a look at the clinic's schedule now, I'll see what's available."

"I want it done as soon as possible." Sam stated. "And if I can't be fitted in for weeks then I'll go private." She added and Tom gave her hand a squeeze to show her that he support her decision because he knew her mind was set on what she wanted.

"Well the earliest possible elective surgical aspiration, would be on Monday, at 9am." She stated.

"That's fine."

"Mrs Kent, are you sure that you're not rushing in to this? it's a big decision and-"

"With all due respect doctor, we're both doctors too; we know about the risks and what the procedure entails, we know about the ethics of this area but we know that this is what we want." Tom said on behalf of his wife.

"Well then. I shall see you on Monday, at 9am."

* * *

**Monday 8th October 2029**

They'd both taken the day off of work for the procedure but, like any other, they had showers, got dressed and ready, waited for the kids to leave for school and them left for the hospital but not for the emergency department because they hadn't told their kids what was happening. Ella had been wanting to ask her mother what she was going to do, but she was worried about Sam snapping so she had left it, and Daniel was none the wiser.

"I'm not gonna leave your side today. I'm going to be right by you, I promise." Tom said reassuringly as he lifted her bag out of the boot that contained a change of clothes, a few other bits and bobs and of course sanitary towels for any spotting or bleeding after the procedure, though it was expected to be minimal.

"Except when I go into theatre and you won't be allowed in with me of course." Sam quipped.

"Well yeah but I'm going to be with you when they put you to sleep, and I'll be with you when you wake up so it'll be like I've never left." He stated as he held her bag in one hand and Sam's hand on the other as they made their way into the hostpital via the patient's entrance, rather than the ED because the last thing Sam needed was questions from her colleagues. "Are you sure you don't want to take off more time from work? One day is-"

"All I need Tom. There will be minimal bleeding, cramps which I can deal with and that's it. It's not like it's open surgery or anything."

"But that's the _physical_ side Sam."

"Tom I know you're worried about what's going on in my head but you needn't worry. Admittedly if I was several years younger and I hadn't started menopause then maybe, yeah, I'd feel a bit guilty or selfish. But I'm not just doing this for us, it's for the sake of the baby who could have god knows how many complications. And if anything, I'm going to feel relieved once this is all over." Sam explained. And that seemed to put Tom at ease as he remained silent on the rest of the way up to the ward.

* * *

**10am**

Slowly, Sam opened her eyes to find herself staring at a dull white ceiling, but within seconds, it was replaced by her husband's face as he leant over her.

"Hey." He whispered. "Everything went to plan, you were in and out of theatre within half an hour. The nurses in recovery said you started to wake up but then you went back to sleep again. Which was probably because you were up so early this morning." Tom smiled sadly.

"I couldn't sleep." Sam mumbled as she lifted her hand from under the sheet and then rubbed her eyes slightly.

"Well you can get some rest now, and after you have a quick chat with a consultant about aftercare and all that crap, I'll probably be able to take you home early this afternoon."

"I'm hungry." Sam croaked.

"Well you haven't eaten since last night so I'm not surprised. The nurses came around offering food earlier but you were out of it so they missed you out. Do you want me to go down to the cafe or shop and get you something to eat?" He offered.

"No. No stay here, please." Sam said quietly as she moved her hand around to try and find his again but before she began to panic, Tom put both of his hands around hers and kissed it.

"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled.

* * *

Later on, Sam was curled up in the armchair under a blanket watching a film in the living room when the front door flew open and her kids came in.

"How many times have I told you to take it easy with that door Daniel?" Tom protested before a loud bang proceeded because Daniel had also slammed the door shut before his dad had said it to him. "It's gonna fly off its hinges one of these days." He added. "Right, it's nothing to worry about, but your mum had a bit of a fall at work after she took a punch in the stomach from a patient, so she needs to take it easy alright?" Tom said quietly as that was what he and Sam had agreed to tell the kids. Well, Daniel anyway.

"Did she punch 'em back?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"No _she_ didn't." Sam replied from the living room so both kids went in there to see their mother forcing a smile.

"Are you okay?" Ella asked worriedly as she thought that if her father was telling the truth, then she could've lost the baby.

"I'm okay. Actually, I need to have a word with you Ella so can you two give us a minute?" Sam requested. Tom then went into the kitchen because Sam had explained to him about Ella walking on on her with the test, and Daniel went upstairs leaving Ella alone with her mother. "Dad's just making that up so Daniel doesn't know okay, I _did_ have an abortion." Sam admitted. "But don't worry at all because I'm just relieved that it's all over and we can get on with our lives."

"Did it hurt?" Ella asked eventually.

"I had a general anaesthetic so I was asleep when they did it. But it was just like period pains when I woke up and I'm fine now because dad's been looking after me." Sam smiled.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. Tell you what, why don't you go upstairs and chose a movie we can watch down here because this one has nearly finished." Sam suggested. "And tell your dad that we'll be needing popcorn, and lots of it." Sam smiled and Ella returned the expression before she went into the kitchen.

* * *

**Tuesday 9th October 2029**

The next day, Sam went back to work with her husband and she had just been given a patient who had been brought in after collapsing at home when she saw that on the bed was a heavily pregnant woman holding hands with her husband or partner.

"I'll deal with this one, you take my case. Elderly lady in bed four." Tom whispered as he slipped the notes out of Sam's hands and Sam was relieved as she really didn't want to deal with that on that day so she walked over to bed four to get on with her job.

* * *

Fletch was just walking into the staffroom to make a cup of tea, when he noticed that Sam was leaning against the counter with a hot water bottle against her abdomen. She wasn't in too much pain but she knew that if she caught the cramps before they got any worse, then she would be alright.

"You do realise it's extremely obvious that you're menstruating right?" He grinned as he flicked the kettle on.

"You do realise that you've just made a fool of yourself because I'm not on my period right?" Sam scoffed.

"What? What's with the hot water bottle then?"

"I um... Me and Tom... Tom and I..."

'Spit it out, it's alright I won't tell anyone." Fletch chuckled softly.

"I fell pregnant. But... I'm too old for a baby Fletch."

"What so, you're miscarrying?" Fletch asked worriedly.

"No, I had a termination yesterday. That's why I was off of work."

"And does Tom know?"

"Yeah, he came with me. He's looking after me."

"Good. I mean not good but... Well I don't know what to say."

"Well I feel relieved to be honest, I just want the pain to go and then I'll be fine."

"Okay. Well is there anything I can do for you?" He offered.

"A hot chocolate wouldn't go amiss." Sam admitted sheepishly.

"I'll make you my perfect pick-me-up hot chocolate, with whipped cream, marshmallows and cinnamon sprinkled on top."

"Sounds incredibly unhealthy but hey-ho, I skipped breakfast." Sam smirked.

* * *

"I still don't understand how we conceived another baby because I can't think of a time that we didn't use protection." Tom aired aloud as he and his wife sat on the sofa whilst their children were up in their rooms.

"I suppose if you think about it, it could've been conceived when we went on that holiday in Cornwall. The dates add up." Sam stated.

"But even then, we used a condom every time didn't we?"

"Well yes but, condoms are only 98% effective so maybe that time we were just one of the 2% that it wasn't effective for." Sam shrugged. "It's gotta happen to someone otherwise they'd be 100% effective."

"I suppose." Tom nodded. "How're you feeling now?"

"Fine, ibuprofen did the trick." Sam smiled.

"And what's the bleeding like?"

"I wouldn't really call it bleeding to be honest, it's just spotting every now and then."

"Well I think that procedure was probably better than having a medical abortion by taking pills anyway because then you would've been bleeding properly. It's good that you can talk about it y'know? And if you want to talk about it more then-"

"Tom I know you're there for me but there's really nothing to talk about. I had the abortion, that's it. We just need to move on from it."

"Okay." Tom nodded. "Do you want to go up to bed now?" He suggested.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted. That elderly lady that you gave me was a right cow, I would've rather dealt with the pregnant woman if I'd have known how stroppy she was." Sam said sulkily as she got up and locked the back door.

"Didn't she had a problem with her pituitary gland?" Tom questioned.

"Yeah but I don't care if she had a reason for it, she was still annoying." Sam grumbled and Tom chuckled before he followed her up the stairs and they went to bed.

* * *

**Coming up: Ella investigates her sexuality for the first time, and Daniel brings a girlfriend to his house - will Sam and Tom refrain from embarrassing him? And is it a serious relationship or just a fling like his father used to have?**

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review :) My Auntie had an abortion because of those kind of factors (health risks, age etc) and I was actually quite surprised to find out that some women are relieved after having an abortion when it's under certain circumstances. Sorry if it upset anyone reading x**


	71. Chapter 71

**Thursday 10th January 2030**

Sam was parked outside of Ella and Daniel's secondary school with the intention to pick her daighter up because it was freezing cold outside and it was also very icy and she didn't want any accidents. Daniel, who was 15 years old, had already gone home earlier though, and she was only there because Ella, who was 11 years old, had stayed behind for astronomy club and finally, Sam spotted her daughter coming out of the front gates with a female friend. Ella obviously hadn't seen her mother as she and her friend paused and looked at each other and Sam frowned as they talked for a few moments, before they both very slowly leant in and their lips touched briefly before they pulled away.

"See you on Monday." The girl waved before she walked away and Ella smiled to herself before her eyes flew open as she noticed her mum looking at her through the car windscreen. Slowly, she walked over and then unusually got into the back seat rather than the passenger seat.

"Who was that?" Sam asked slowly as she grinned at her daughter's uncharacteristically shy behaviour.

"Ivy. I said about how I hated going to astronomy club because I was the only girl there, and she offered to come with me." Ella explained simply.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And do you know now?" Sam asked as though it was an obvious question. "You've said before about how you didn't know about your sexuality, but you haven't said anything else to me about it." Sam explained but Ella remained silent. "So you are lesbian then?" Sam asked.

"I think so, yeah." Ella nodded.

"And have you told anyone except me and that girl?" Sam asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I've only just realised I suppose. I've always been unsure until now but..."

"But now you know." Sam concluded and Ella nodded. "Are you going to tell your dad and your brother?" Sam asked.

"Um..."

"Trust me Ella, look I know your dad can be immature at times but he will accept you for who you are. I saw him today, trying to convince a patient's relative that his son wasn't an attention seeker just by saying that he was gay." Sam stated.

* * *

"Ella's got something to tell you." Sam said casually as though it was no big deal as she walked into the living room where Tom and Daniel were watching the TV.

"Yeah?" Tom questioned as his daughter stood in front of him and stuttered as she tried to find the right words.

"I um... For a while I-I've known that I'm not really attracted to boys but now I realise that I'm... I'm gay." Ella said quietly.

"Well done on coming out sis." Daniel smiled.

"What?"

"Oh come on, you think I haven't noticed that you're probably one of the few girls in your year group that's got posters of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Rebecca Adlington and Heather Peace on your wall instead of one direction and the vamps?" Daniel grinned.

"So you're okay with it?" Ella asked nervously.

"Yeah, of course we are. It takes a lot of courage to come out and I'm proud of you for doing it." Tom said as he got up and hugged his daughter. "Though I must admit this is the first I've known of it, I didn't think anything of those posters." He added humourously.

"Told you he'd be fine with it." Sam said smugly. "Right, seeing as you two have been home before us two I'm sure you've already got dinner planned and started haven't you?" Sam said sarcastically to her husband and son.

"Yeah it's called ordering a pizza." Tom quipped.

"Haha." Sam said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious, come on we haven't had a takeaway at all this year." Tom pleaded.

"That's because we're only ten days into the new year you moron." Sam replied.

"Please mum?" Daniel begged.

"Fine, we can have a takeaway but we're not having a pizza."

"Indian?" Tom suggested.

"No because we can't have any of the spicy food because of you two being wimps and you can only have a chicken korma so many times before it gets boring." Ella stated bluntly.

"We're not wimps. Some people can tolerate spicy food, others can't. It's not my fault it's the way I was born and I can't help it." Tom protested.

"How about Thai?" Sam suggested.

"No I hate Thai food. Their green curry tastes like washing up liquid." Tom complained.

"How would you know what washing up liquid tastes like?" Sam questioned.

"You don't?" He joked.

"How about we just get a Chinese?" Daniel suggested.

"Or even better, a Chinese buffet." Ella smiled.

"No no no no no, I'm never having a Chinese buffet ever again in my life." Sam protested.

"Why not?" Ella asked innocently.

"Because when she was pregnant with you, she got food poisoning from a Chinese buffet and she got very ill." Tom explained to his daughter.

"Well we won't go to that one then, we can go to a different restaurant." Ella stated.

"No, it's not just that Ella. She doesn't want to risk it. Imagine if you were pregnant, waddling about all day and then you got stuck down with food poisoning." Tom said on behalf of his wife.

"But yet she'll still eat a Chinese takeaway?" Daniel pointed out. "I do not get women."

"Neither do I mate." Tom grinned. "In fact, speaking of women, when are we gonna meet this 'Elodie' that you're forever texting and talking about?" Tom asked his son.

"Unfortunately, she wants to meet my family." Daniel admitted.

"Well considering you've been round her house god knows many times why don't you invite her around here?" Tom grinned.

"Because I know you're going to embarrass me." Daniel stated bluntly.

"Like I'd ever do such a thing." Tom said innocently.

"Invite her round tomorrow and I promise he'll bite his tongue." Sam ordered.

"Oi, you can't promise on my behalf." Tom protested.

"Tom." Sam said sternly.

"Fine. I promise to behave." Tom said like a naughty school boy.

"I'll cook my famous spaghetti carbonara from scratch." Sam stated.

"You'll have to do it without the pancetta, she's a vegetarian."

"Ooooohh." Tom said mockingly.

"Right that's dinner for tomorrow sorted but can we please sort out dinner for tonight because I'm starving." Ella declared.

* * *

**Friday 11th January 2030**

After pleading with Sam to no avail, Daniel was forced to sit at the dining table with his girlfriend, Elodie, rather than being able to go and eat up on his room with her because he knew Tom was just waiting for the right moment to embarrass him.

"Thank you Mrs Kent." Elodie smiled as Sam placed a plate of steaming spaghetti carbonara in front of her and then Sam sat down herself. She had done the recipe without pancetta for everyone because she didn't want to do a special dish for Elodie and make her feel awkward.

"Please, call me Sam." Sam smiled as the family began eating until Tom spoke up.

"So Elodie, Daniel tells me you've got a French background." He began to make conversation.

"Yes, um, my mum is French, born in Lille, and she came over to England when she had graduated from university because she had a job lined up over here. My mum can speak fluent French and English and she tries to speak French as much as she can at home with me to help me learn." Elodie stated.

"That must be useful with your studies." Tom pointed out and Sam and Ella were just trying not to burst out laughing at how civilised he was being.

"Yeah it is a lot actually, and I'm doing French and Spanish so it can be hard but learning one new language actually makes it easier to learn another so..." She replied.

"And what are your plans after you leave Holby Secondary?" Tom asked.

"I've got an offer for Holby Community College to study further maths, French, physics, chemistry and geography."

"You're taking 5 a-levels? That sounds quite a lot of work." Sam pointed out as her son was only doing 4.

"Considering she gets A*s in her GCSEs without even having to revise, I'm sure she can handle it." Daniel smiled.

"Can I be excused from the table to go and puke?" Ella requested.

"Oi, you'll be like this one day with your girlfriend." Tom pointed out.

"Um, girlfriend?" Elodie questioned.

"Yeah. That's not a problem is it?" Tom demande.

"No, no of course not. My best friend is gay." Elodie replied quickly.

"Ignore him, he's just way too protective." Sam stated as she discreetly kicked Tom under the table.

* * *

Later on, Daniel and Elodie were lying on their backs on the trampoline in the garden, looking up at the stars in the dark winter sky.

"You do realise that my mum and dad are probably watching us through the net curtains right now, right?" Daniel asked.

"Well then, let's give them something to watch." Elodie replied as she turned to the side and kissed Daniel on the lips. After pulling apart for a few moments, she leant back in and lingered against his lips for a little longer before she pulled away and then she laid on ever side next to him and put one arm across his torso. Daniel knew if Tom was watching at that moment, he would be going ballistic so he put one arm around her shoulders and smiled to himself as he looked back up at the stars. "Is it true? What all the boys say about you?" She asked eventually.

"Depends what they say about me." Daniel smirked before his face fell as he realised she was being serious.

"That you don't do relationships; you just sleep with a girl and then dump her and grab the next one."

"Of course not. Look I let the boys had their fun but I'm nothing like that. I've never even slept with a girl before. I'm 15 and I bet 3/4 of the people in our year group haven't slept with anyone yet, everyone just says they have because they think they're cool."

"It's so weird. You're so different to who you appear to be at school."

"And is that a good thing?"

"Definitely." She smiled as she rested the side of her face on his chest. "Are you wearing aftershave?"

"Yeah, I always do." Daniel stated.

"I've never noticed."

"Well maybe you just never get close enough to smell it."

"Then maybe I should get closer more often." Elodie whispered.

* * *

"Can't you just go out there and offer them a hot chocolate or something?" Tom moaned as he watched his son outside whilst he knelt on the ensuite bathroom's toilet, looking out into the garden.

"Tom they're only cuddling." Sam stated from the bedroom whilst her daughter also looked out the bathroom window.

"And snogging." Ella added.

"They kissed, trust me Ella you'll know snogging when you see it." Sam stated bluntly. "Oh, I've just remember you need your clotting factor infusion tonight don't you?"

"Yes." Ella huffed.

"Don't huff at me like that, if you didn't have your infusion you'd bleed a hell of a lot heavier than you do normally, is that what you want?"

"No."

"Well, then come on. I'll hook you up now." Reluctantly Ella left the bathroom and followed her mother whilst Tom continued to watch his son and partner.

* * *

"Bye." Daniel waved as his girlfriend walked out to her mum's car and then drove off so Daniel closed the front door. "You are so embarrassing!" Daniel exclaimed to his father.

"Why? I didn't do anything!"

"First you sang in the shower so that we could hear you, then you came out and started showing Elodie how you could twitch your 'pecks'-"

"Oh c'mon, you gotta admit that was funny." Ella grinned.

"Look Daniel at the end of the day if she loves you then she's not gonna let an embarrassing father get in the way of your relationship." Tom stated.

"Well, whatever. I'm going to bed." Sam muttered before she went upstairs and Tom frowned before he ran upstairs and chased Sam upstairs.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tom asked softly.

"Who said anything was wrong?" Sam protested innocently.

"But the way you said you were coming up I thought... Well you sounded upset." Tom stated confusedly.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired so I'm gonna have an early night." Sam stated.

"Alright well, night night. I'll probably just take the dogs out and then come and join you." Tom admitted as he leant over his wife and pecked her on the forehead as she got comfortable in bed. "Night night." He whispered.

* * *

**Coming up : Sam and Tom talk to their children about funding their university education, and then they book a family holiday with their kids partners.**

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	72. Chapter 72

**Saturday 7th January 2033**

With Ella, 14, and Daniel, 18, sitting at their dining room table, Sam and Tom had decided to discuss finances with their children on the rare occasion that both of their offspring were at home and not with their partners or friends.

"Right, to put it simply, me and your dad won a bit of money on the postcode lottery about 13 or 14 years ago-"

"How much?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"None of your concern." Sam replied slowly. "But, we would like to pay for you two to go to university so that you don't end up with a massive student loan debt." Sam added.

"What? So like, for my tuition fees?" Daniel asked curiously, as he was going to be studying medicine at the University of Bristol which he would be starting in September.

"Well, we're going to pay for your tuition fees, accommodation and cost of living fees, but that doesn't mean that you can go mad and buy whatever you want; we will be giving you budgets and things like that." Tom explained.

"Seriously though, how much did you win on that lottery because my tuition fees are going to be £45,000 alone." Daniel asked.

"Don't worry your little head about that, we've got enough for both of you to go through university." Sam stated as she glanced at Ella so that she knew she was involved in the conversation too. "And there is something else we wanted to talk to you about." Sam began. "Before Daniel goes off to university, we want to take you two on a holiday somewhere in the summer and we wanted to ask you guys where you'd like to go." Sam stated.

"I'm not going anywhere without Elodie." Daniel stated bluntly.

"If he gets to take Elodie, I have to bring Ivy." Ella stated as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Honestly, can't you two go anywhere without your girlfriends?" Tom huffed.

"I'm sure you and mum were the same when you were our age." Daniel protested.

"I wasn't actually, because in 'those days' as you like to call my era, I wasn't allowed a boyfriend until I was 18." Sam stated. "Plus, me and your dad didn't meet each other until about two years before we had you Daniel so no, we weren't like that at your ages." Sam added.

"Well if Elodie can't come then I'm staying here at home." Daniel said adamantly.

"So am I." Ella added.

"You're not staying at home, you're not old enough." Sam said sternly to her daughter.

"What?"

"Right, we'll let you bring your girlfriends, if, we will sit down and have dinner together - not all separately - and do activities together or just do things together. Agreed?" Tom queried.

"Only if me and Elodie have a room to ourselves." Daniel added.

"Deal." Tom said quickly before Ella made more demands. He and Sam knew that their son was sexually active, but he was 18 and had been with her since he was 14 - give and take a few petty arguments that they would soon make up after - and given that he was over 16, they couldn't stop him. All they could do was make sure that he was practicing safe sex by using protection and that they did it discreetly and in a private location.

"Right, what sort of holiday do we want then?" Sam asked.

"Nowhere by plane, Elodie hates flying." Daniel stated.

"A cruise?" Tom suggested.

"No, I don't want to get stuck on a boat and then hear that everyone's got struck down with a vomiting bug." Sam stated. "Wait. There was that leaflet that came through the front door the other day." Sam stated as she got to her feet and got a bit of paper out of the kitchen draw and placed it on the dining table.

"Centre Parcs?" Daniel complained.

"Oh come on. Look, we'll stay in our own cabin and there are all sorts of things you can do like horse riding, swimming, climbing, bike rides, nice walks, quad biking, high ropes courses, golf, canoeing. There's are loads of things to do, there's bound to be something you'll like." Sam stated. "Look, there're three bedroom cabins so you and Elodie can go in one, and you and Ivy can share another." Sam added.

"Will I be allowed to go off separately with Elodie?" Daniel questioned.

"As long as we haven't got an activity to do together, then yes. You can." Tom nodded. "Tell you what, we'll plan the activities before we leave, and then you two can plan what you want to do with your girlfriends in the spare time."

"Well, you book it, I'll go and tell Elodie." Daniel stated before he disappeared up to his.

"And you have to keep the snogging to a minimum around me and your mum." Tom shouted.

"I don't know what you're smirking at, that means you as well." Sam said to her daughter. "Go on, go and tell Ivy." Sam smiled as she watched her daughter pull her phone out of her pocket and run upstairs.

* * *

"I think I've finally hit menopause and finished completely." Sam admitted as she and her husband got ready for bed.

"Really? I thought your symptoms had gotten worse if anything." Tom replied honestly.

"Well I haven't had a period for-"

"I came in at the wrong point didn't I?" Daniel interrupted as he stood in their doorway.

"Oh, so it's a crime if we enter your bedroom without knocking first but you can just walk straight in to our bedroom." Sam said sarcastically.

"Yeah well, your door was half open anyway." He shrugged.

"Did you want something?" Tom questioned.

"What? Oh, yeah. Elodie said she can come."

"And that's it?" Tom asked.

"Well I thought you wanted to know." Daniel stated.

"Yeah but it could've waited until morning." Tom chuckled. "Go on, you can stay up but keep the noise down we're going to bed now." Tom stated.

"Night." Daniel replied before he closed their bedroom door and once the coast was clear Tom went around Sam's side of the bed, sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

"You were saying?" He asked quietly.

"Um, yeah. I haven't had a period for nearly 8 months now and I took a test at work just to make sure that I'm definitely not pregnant. We've still got 7 months until we go on holiday so hopefully some of the symptoms would've passed by the time we go." Sam said optimistically. "It's just the palpitations and hot flushes that irritate me because they wake me up in the middle of the night and I have trouble sleeping."

"Well, maybe you should get some Diphenhydramine tablets from work." Tom suggested. "In fact, I think they sell them in placed like tescos and boots without needing a prescription so-"

"I'm not keen on taking sleeping pills." Sam admitted slowly whilst Tom slid his hands around her abdomen and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Why not?"

"Because... I just, I'd be too worried about something happening like a fire and then I'd be too drowsy and I might not wake up and-"

"Sam, this is anxiety caused by menopause, you'd never be like this normally, and you're being irrational. Do you understand that?" Tom asked as he often helped Sam overcome issues caused by menopause like self esteem problems, anxiety, mild phases of depression and mood swings. "Look, I sleep right next to you every single night. Do you think I'd ever let anything happen to you?"

"No, of course not."

"Then consider taking them if they'll help you. You wouldn't even have to take them every night; you could take them on maybe one or two weekdays when we've got work the next day and you're feeling particularly tired. And the moment you want to stop, I'll help you to. I won't let you take any more."

"Alright, I'll think about it." Sam nodded.

"Good. Right, let's get some sleep then." Tom announced as he let Sam slide off of his lap and he went and laid on bed besides her, without a duvet of course because Sam much preferred to be cold than she did hot, which often triggered her hot flushes in the night. Therefore, Tom just wore thicker pyjamas and he managed without the covers for the benefit of his wife.

"It's scary that Daniel won't be here most've the year by September." Sam admitted.

"You're not gonna get that 'empty nest syndrome' thing are you?" Tom laughed.

"No. I'm gonna get that, 'let's throw a party because I no longer have to clear up after him' thing." Sam quipped. Suddenly, Sam inhaled and placed a hand on her chest before she closed her eyes to conserve energy.

"Palpitations?" Tom questioned and Sam gave a small nod. "I think we should get you checked over by a cardiologist again. I know you had it for the palpitations when you first started getting the, but that was about 3 years ago and it wouldn't hurt just to be on the safe side."

"Fine but I'm not going anywhere near Connie Beauchamp or Jac Naylor." Sam stated adamantly after she took a few deep breaths.

* * *

**Coming up: Sam, Tom, Daniel, Elodie, Ella and Ivy embark on their holiday to centre parcs!**

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**Sorry it's a short chapter guys but I ran out of ideas for this bit. I've decided that this fic will be ending on chapter 75 because I've just got so many ideas for other fics and I hate leaving things unfinished :) Please review :)**


	73. Chapter 73

**Hi guys :) I've created a poll which is on the top of my profile, where you can pick which of my ideas/stories you like so please check (and fill!) it out if you could so that I can sort out what to write after this fic is finished.**

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**Sunday 7th August 2033, 8am**

It was the morning that the Kent Family (plus two) were leaving for their Centre Parcs holiday, and Sam couldn't help but smile as she leant in the front doorway, and watched her kids await the arrival of their partners because as much as they complained to their friends about going on holiday with their parents, they were actually quite looking forward to it.

Her daughter Ella, of 14 years of age, leant on the bonnet of her mother's car after receiving a text that Ivy was just minutes away and Sam couldn't believe how beautiful she'd turn out - not that she'd realised it was because she was Ella looked very similar to herself. Ella had long hair that she had kept down to her bum because it didn't seem to grow any longer - not that it needed to - and though it wasn't thick like Sam's, it was a very similar colour and naturally had a few gentle waves in it, but the weight of her long hair usually kept those under control. Despite the fact that she hadn't been very girly as she'd grown up, she did in fact quite like painting her nails, doing her hair or makeup, but she wasn't overly fussed; it was just something to experiment with. And so she stood with her nails painted light blue whilst she wore a turquoise tank top, high waisted denim shorts and black leather Capri sandals.

On the bonnet of Tom's car, sat Daniel. And at 18 years old, he was as tall as his father, but he was a lot fitter and muscular - he didn't have a six pack, nor did he want one but he had such muscular arms that he couldn't go out without being complimented about them. He wore a simple white t-shirt, denim shorts down to the knee and a pair of flip flops with some black aviators sunglasses.

"Right, I think that's everything." Tom announced after loading up the cars with their suitcases and bags. There was a roofbox on Tom's car, and because six people were going, they were taking two cars so they'd have enough room for their things (and enough seats for everyone). "We've just got to wait for Elodie and Ivy, and then I'll put their things in, load the bikes and then we'll be ready to go." He stated.

"Okay." Sam nodded.

"Remember what we said you two; as long as you stick to the plan that me and your mum have put together, then you can do whatever you want in the free time. And we might just give you some extra spending money as well if you're good."

"Can I have the extra spending money now?" Daniel asked cheekily.

"Nope." Tom replied bluntly. Then a car pulled across Sam and Tom's driveway that they recognised to belong to Ivy's mother, and just behind them, Elodie's father dropped her off.

"Hiya girls." Tom smiled as he walked over to help them with their bags. They had both cycled round the Kent Family house in the recent weeks and dropped their bike off to be ready to take.

"Hi." Ivy smiled as she lugged her suitcase out of the car.

"Let me take that for you. Have you packed for you _and_ Ella in here?" Tom asked sarcastically and Ivy just laughed a little as she went over to Ella.

"Sam, I've got some money here, it should cover Ivy's foo-" Ivy's mother began.

"Oh goodness, no. Please, put it away. It's our treat for the kids, you really don't need to give us anything." Sam stated.

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely, keep it." Sam nodded.

"Okay, thanks. Ivy, come here."

"Mum." She moaned as her mother gave her a final hug.

"Right, you've got your phone yes?"

"Yep."

"Okay, well have fun then." She smiled.

"Bye." Ivy waved before her mother got in the car and drove away, meanwhile Daniel helped Elodie with her suitcase after telling her father that they didn't need to give his parents any money either.

"Jesus Christ, what have you got in here?" Daniel exclaimed as he heaved the suitcase into the boot of Tom's car.

"Everything I need for the week." Elodie grinned as Daniel mockingly wiped away a bead of sweat before she leant in, cupped his cheeks with her hands and kissed him.

"Really? We haven't even set off yet and you two are already at it." Ella moaned.

"Right, you lot can either get in the cars, or help me get these bikes attached." Tom stated and everyone quickly scattered as expected. Sam was going to drive with Ella and Ivy in the back, whilst Tom was taking Daniel and Elodie. Soon, the bikes were put on the bike racks and then they set off for the week without the worry of the dogs as they had both passed away within the previous year at 17 years old.

* * *

**10am**

"No way is this our place." Daniel said out of disbelief as he dragged both his, and Elodie's suitcase along a pathway in the middle of a forest, not far from the car park.

"It is indeed. We paid extra to get a treehouse cabin rather than an apartment." Sam stated as they all looked up at the wooden cabin build within the trees with balconies and a large decking area, suspended in the air. "There're 3 ensuite bathrooms but me and your dad are picking ours first. Then you four can pick." Sam stated as she walked up the steps to their accommodation whilst Tom struggled with Sam's suitcase. "Did I mention we've got an outdoor hot tub?" Sam grinned.

"Shot gun we're going in it first!" Ella exclaimed.

"No, we're older, we're going in it first." Daniel stated.

"We've got the whole week here, can you two not just sort it out?" Tom laughed as Sam opened the front door and they all walked into the living area and the six split into their pairs as they explored the 'treehouse'.

"No way! We've got a sauna!" Ella exclaimed after opening a door to a small wooden panelled room with a monitor on the side to control the temperature.

"Found the hot tub!" Ivy announced.

"Right, this is our bedroom, you four can decide on the one downstairs." Sam shouted from the upstairs. There was a spiral staircase in the middle of the living room and the only thing upstairs was one bedroom with an ensuite, but it also had a balcony with the most incredible view of the forest.

The teenagers actually sorted out who was in which room rather easily because they were exactly the same size, it was just that one of the ensuites had a bath and a shower, rather than just a shower, and Daniel and Elodie planned on making the most of the time that they had together before Daniel moved away for university so they wanted the bath for intimate encounters. Sure, both of the bedrooms downstairs only had two single beds in them, but Daniel and Elodie could easily push them together. Ella and Ivy on the other hand kept their beds separate. Soon they unpacked the car and stocked the kitchen up with food that they had brought and then Sam summoned them in the living room.

"Right, this is the plan for the week. And as long as you come to the activities that're on there, you can do whatever you like during the free time." Sam stated as she placed a sheet of paper on the dining table. It read:

_-Sunday: -_

_-Monday: Rock Climbing 10am-Midday_

_-Tuesday: Abseiling 3-5pm _

_-Wednesday: Archery 10am-Midday_

_-Thursday: Mini golf 10am-11am _

_-Friday: Bowling 7pm onwards_

_-Saturday: Paintballing 2-4pm_

_-Sunday: We will be leaving by 8am so be ready (yes, this is aimed at you, Daniel.)_

"There're plenty of other activities, we just thought that you'd want to do some things by yourself and then we'll do the competitive things together." Tom stated.

"For example, you lot are all going to get thrashed by me at bowling." Sam said smugly. "Oh, the only other thing was that you can't do paintball." Sam said to Ella.

"Why? It's not a contact sport." Daniel pointed out.

"No, but people with healthy blood get bruises when they get hit by a paintball; if Ella did it, she'd come out with bruises all over her." Sam stated bluntly.

* * *

Daniel and Elodie had gone out for a walk, whilst Ella and Ivy had gone for a cycle so Sam and Tom were left, and they had chosen to be the first to use the infrared sauna. There were two shelves, or benches, in the room and Sam was lying on the top on in her light blue bikini, whilst Tom wore a pair of black swimming trunks and sat on the lower bench.

"How about tomorrow we go horse riding?" Tom suggested and Sam gave him a look one would give if someone suggested a chocolate teapot. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just you didn't strike me as a man who'd like riding horses." Sam smirked.

"Well I know what _you_ like riding." Tom grinned. "But it only has two legs, not four-"

"Tom!" Sam laughed as she playfully tapped the back of his head with her foot before she resumed her position of looking up at the ceiling.

"What? I'm just glad you're over the menopause because when you were going through it, I don't think I've ever been for that long without having sex since before I lost my virginity." He smirked - Sam had been somewhat lucky because though she had endured terrible hot flushes, palpitations and other symptoms at the time, she had stopped her periods almost 18 months ago, and thankfully, unlike some who continued to have symptoms for years, Sam's symptoms had stopped around the 12 month mark after her last period.

"Wow, way to make me feel bad." Sam moaned.

"No, that wasn't meant to make you feel bad, I was just stating a fact." Tom said. "I know how unwell you were and I wouldn't change a thing if I could go back." He smiled as he raised his hand to the second shelf and entwined his fingers with hers.

"So? Horse riding tomorrow?" Sam questioned.

"It's a date." Tom nodded.

* * *

**Monday 8th August 2033, 10am**

"Are you scared?" Daniel grinned at his father as they put on their harnesses to go rock climbing but Tom's hands were shaking.

"No, course not." Tom lied.

"It's alright." Sam said reassuringly. She had already put her harness on fine because she had experience of the sport so she took it upon herself to put Tom's on as she tightened the straps around his waist and then around his thighs. "Tom, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Sam said softly as she took his hand into his, and it was only then that Sam realised how sweaty and shaky Tom's hand was.

"I've just told him I'm not scared I can hardly pull out now can I?" Tom whispered.

"Well I could tell him you're not feeling well and you could just watch us. Or you could just grow a pair and take it like a man." Sam stated bluntly. "Everyone has their fears Tom, you just don't like heights."

"Yeah? And what's your fear?" Tom demanded.

"Being apart from you." Sam pouted before she pulled her red helmet on and Tom rolled his eyes before he wiped his hands on his jeans again. Thankfully, the rock climbing was booked in sessions of 10 people, but the other family of 4 hadn't turned up so it was just those 6.

"Right, I need three volunteers to go first please." Mark, the instructor, announced.

"I will." Ella and Sam said at the same time.

"I'll go as well." Ivy offered.

"Lovely. Right, if you'd just like to each stand where there's a rope and I'll hook you up." He stated and soon, all three were attached to safety lines and with a helmet and harness on each, they were ready to go. "Okay, if you guys climb up as far as you can. And then let me know when you're ready to come down and we can switch. Plus, you guys have got a 2 hour slot so you can go as many times as you like." Mark stated.

"Wait wait wait." Tom said abruptly. "You've all got to have a race." He stated.

"What?!" Ella shrieked. "But mum is going to beat us so easily." She protested.

"Fine. I'll give you girls a 10 second head start." Sam stated.

* * *

"Told you you'd beat us." Ella grumbled as she walked away from the wall so that Tom, Daniel and Elodie could get ready.

"Hey, you beat me. At least you didn't come last." Ivy smiled. Ella smiled before she leant in and kissed Ivy briefly on hand lips which caused Sam to roll her eyes at how easily her daughter could change her mind sometimes. However, Sam then noticed that once Mark had attached the safety line to Tom, he kept on looking up at the top of the wall and then back down again so she went over to him.

"You don't have to do this." Sam said quietly.

"No, I do." Tom stated. "If my 14 year old daughter can climb a stupid wall, then I should be able to."

"Just keep on focusing on the next place that you're going to put your hands and don't look down. You'll be fine." Sam smiled as she leant up and went to kiss Tom on the lips but their helmets got in the way and they simply smacked each other's head.

"Serves you right." Daniel proclaimed. "I get told off for 'public displays of affection' so that was karma for being hypocritical." Daniel smirked.

* * *

"This is just, so nice." Tom said softly as he and Sam slowly made their way along a trail that had been designed for horse riders in a field that could be seen by the instructors who were back towards the stables. Thankfully, the group that were taking part had spread out around the field along a single track so they weren't within ear shot of anyone and they had even managed to go on the biggest horse that they had: an incredibly tall, muscular black stallion that they had had to get on via a hay bale because he was so tall. And Sam was sitting towards the front of the saddle whilst Tom sat behind her with his arms around her, holding the reins.

"Mm. No kids fighting or snogging. Plus your hands aren't shaking anymore." Sam quipped cheekily.

"I climbed the wall, didn't I?" Tom protested.

"Yes you did, and I'm proud of you." Sam smiled as she twisted her neck slightly and kissed Tom on the lips before she faced the direction that they were heading in as he the horse walked on. "Y'know, I got up for a drink of water in the night and when I went downstairs, I could hear Daniel and Elodie. They were at it like rabbits, it it was nearly one o'clock in the morning."

"Well, it's their first time that they're not sleeping over at someone else's house with their parents next door so they're probably just making the most of the time they've got away from us." Tom reasoned. "Plus you can't complain, you only went down for a glass of water because we were going at it like rabbits until midnight." Tom said smugly.

"I think we should stop using condoms now." Sam admitted as she enjoyed the feel of her husbands thighs touching hers all the way down to their knees, and his arms wrapped around her to control the great animal that they were riding.

"Yeah? It's up to you. I've been thinking that for a little while now but I wanted to leave the decision down to you." Tom stated.

"Well that's sorted then. We won't use one tonight." Sam announced.

"Oh, so we're having sex tonight then are we?" He smirked.

"Well, I think we should, in your words, make the most of the time we've got without the kids sleeping in a bedroom next to us." Sam said mockingly.

"Ah, there is that. Yes." Tom nodded. "There's also the prospect of me and you not sharing a hot tub together yet." He added.

"That can be arranged." Sam purred.

* * *

**Coming up: Tom gives Daniel some money to take Elodie out for dinner one night, whilst Sam and Tom have a little bit too much wine to drink and end up in the hot tub together. The next day, Ella and Ivy go swimming at the tropical swimming resort and then they make the journey back to Holby.**

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**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	74. Chapter 74

**Thanks to those who filled out my poll :) I've realised that those of you who don't have accounts on here can't vote so if you want to, you can leave your choices in a review and I can't add them on the website but I'll make an extra tally myself of guests' opinions :)**

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**Thursday 11th August 2033, 4:30pm**

"Are we going out for dinner?" Daniel asked as he entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of beer and a glass of wine but Tom stopped his son before even a drop of the alcohol hit the glass.

"No, you're mum was going to cook something. But why don't you take Elodie out for dinner to that restaurant at the plaza?" Tom suggested as he got his wallet out.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've been good and I said I'd give you extra spending money if you got on with your sister while we we're here and you've not argued with her half as much as you do at home so go on, go and have a night out." Tom stated as he handed his son two £20 notes.

"Cheers dad." Daniel smiled.

"No worries."

"So you can buy a glass of wine at the restaurant for Elodie, use that glass for me." Sam quipped and Daniel laughed as he poured a glass of chilled white wine from the tall wine cooler and then handed it to his mother.

"Thanks." Daniel said again before he went to his bedroom to tell his girlfriend the good news whilst Ella had just come out of her bedroom.

"I gonna go and change into my PJs." Tom announced as he jogged upstairs leaving Sam and her daughter.

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"Did you bring any ibuprofen?" Ella asked.

"You know you can't take that; it'll thin your blood." Sam warned.

"No, it's not for me. Ivy's got cramps. But please just let me take it to her, she didn't want you to find out and I said I wouldn't tell you." Ella pleaded.

"Fine, but tell her to have two and then bring the packet back to me straight away. Yes?"

"Yeah." Ella nodded so Sam reached up into the spare kitchen cupboard that to she had put their first aid kit in - as well as Ella's contraceptive pill box which she was on so that they would always know when to give Ella's clotting factor, and she took out a box of painkillers. Sam handed Ella them, along with a cooled bottle of water before Ella disappeared into her bedroom leaving Sam to take a well needed gulp of wine.

"Here you go." Ella gave a sympathetic smile to her girlfriend who was lying on her side on her single bed with one arm wrapped around her lower abdomen.

"Thanks." Ivy croaked as she slowly sat up and then swallowed two tablets with a gulp of water. "What did your mum say?"

"Oh, nothing. She wasn't there so I just took them. I'd better go and put them back before she comes down." Ella added as she took the box and went into the kitchen. She said a quiet thanks to her mother before she went back to the bedroom and sat on her single bed, opposite her partner's. "Are you still going to be alright to go swimming tomorrow?" Ella asked curiously. "We can forget about it if you want."

"No, I should be alright in the morning." Ivy stated.

* * *

"I'm pretty sure after consuming several glasses of wine, that this isn't a good idea." Sam slurred as she stumbled into the steaming hot tub that was illuminated by lights surrounding the tub. It was pitch black outside but the lights made the area feel cozy. The tub itself was also surrounded by a circular logged fence so no one from the cabin could see. And besides, Daniel and Elodie were out and Ella and Ivy were watching a movie anyway.

"Well, I originally didn't think that having sex with you while you was in labour with Daniel was a good idea but I actually quite enjoyed myself." Tom replied drunkly as he rather abruptly pulled Sam, who was in her black bikini, onto his lap. But even though he was quite rough with her, she didn't complain; she was out of it.

"Yeah, I think your enjoying yourself now aren't you?" Sam quipped as she felt something beneath her, between both his and her legs.

"And?" Tom questioned.

"And, I think I should do something to ease the blood flow to it." Sam replied.

"Do you now?" Tom grinned.

"Mm. At least in water, we don't need to worry about a lubricant." Sam said rather loudly, though Tom just laughed as she clumsily did a 180° turn so that she was still on his lap, but facing him, before they passionately made love in the hot tub.

* * *

**Friday 12th August 2033**

"We shouldn't have done that." Sam croaked as she sat on the side of their bed, clutching her head.

"What? The god-knows how many bottles of wine or sleeping naked?" Tom questioned and it wasn't until he had said that that Sam realised she wasn't wearing anything and her dripping wet bikini was on the floor besides the bed.

"Neither. I meant what we did in the hot tub." Sam stated. "Or at least, what I think we did in the hot tub." Sam replied questioningly. "The kids go in there, and we-"

"Sam, the chemicals in there would've killed any bodily fluids, plus I'm sure there've been worse in that hot tub." Tom replied.

* * *

Ella and Ivy had just spent a couple of hours in the heated indoor tropical swimming pool that had water slides, flumes, a lazy river, a beach and a wave pool before they went to the busy changing rooms.

"Damn, I've left my shampoo back at the lodge." Ivy exclaimed.

"It's alright, you can use some of mine." Ella stated as she took out shampoo, conditioner and shower gel from her locker and then they went and had a shower to clean up after spending so much time in the water and childishly building a sand castle which meant that they had to rinse the sand off of them too. Then they grabbed the rest of their things from the lockers and went to the changing rooms to find that they were all being used. "Um, I'm not using the communal changing area. I'll wait but you can go if you want." Ella offered.

"No way am I getting changed around a load of kids. I'm staying with you." Ivy smiled. Suddenly, a woman came out of a changing room leaving it vacant and there didn't appear to be any sort of queue for the changing rooms so the girls both went into the changing room and put their bags down on the bench. After getting changed, they brushed their hair and dried it as best as they could with their towels before they began the walk back to the lodge. "So what do the rest of your family think about you being gay?" Ivy asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your mum and dad seem cool about it. I mean, mine are but my grandparents are awful. My parents had to stick up for me because they said I'm messed up in the head or whatever, and now we never speak to them."

"I don't have any grandparents." Ella admitted. "I mean, technically I do but I don't know them. Mum fell out with her parents because they were old fashioned and didn't support her when she said she wanted to be a doctor so she left home when she was 16. And my dad was put into care when he was a baby, and then adopted so he never knew his parents who would've been my grandparents." She explained.

"Oh, right."

"I have Uncle Fletch and he's genetically, _not_ my uncle because he and my mum are best friends so I've just grown up calling him uncle fletch and he doesn't care about me being gay. He just treats me like he always has done which I suppose is what I want; I hate being treated differently because of it."

"Me too." Ivy nodded.

"Remember at our primary leavers disco when we went together and the teachers just looked at us like we were a piece of dirt on the ground."

"Mm. Though the students weren't much better because that was when we both came out in public." Ella smiled at the memory. "I think it was a good idea though because it gave people the summer holidays to take it in and decide whether they were going to accept it or not."

"Do you know what college you're going to yet?" Ivy asked curiously.

"Probably Holby Community College. Daniel said it was really good there and they've just had all of the science labs done out so - even thought it'll still be two years until I go - hopefully, they won't be too graffitied by that time. What about you?"

"Yeah, Holby Community as well."

* * *

**Saturday 13th August 2033, 5pm**

Everyone was getting showered and ready to go out for a meal together when there was a knock on Sam and Tom's door.

"Hang on." Sam shouted as she had just come out of the shower. She dropped her towel and pulled her dressing gown on before she opened the door. "Ella, what can I do for you?"

"Can you plait my hair for me please?" Ella requested. She was awful at plaiting her own hair, especially from the back and she loved it when her mother did it for her because Sam could do almost anything when it came to plaits.

"Yeah sure. Just let me get dressed and then I'll come down to your room because your dad'll be getting out of the shower in a minute and he'll wanna get changed in peace." Sam stated.

"But I thought _you'd_ just gotten out of the shower." Ella stated confusedly.

"I have but you know what men are like, they're in and out in three minutes and it takes at least ten minutes to do your hair so go on, I'll be five minutes." Sam stated and once Ella began going down the spiral stairs case, Sam let out a sigh of relief as she shut the door and Tom came out of the shower after they had just finished making love when there'd been a knock at their door.

"I would say you should've let me get it but..." Tom smirked as he looked down at the towel around his waist where there was a large bulge and Sam just shook her head at him but she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Daniel had just come out of the ensuite shower with a towel around his waist where he found Elodie in just her black and dark blue lace bra and matching thong brushing her shoulder length dark brown hair.

"We've still got plenty of time to get ready haven't we?" Daniel questioned.

"Yeah, we've got half an hour." Elodie replied innocently before she squealed because Daniel pushed her back on the two single beds that they had pushed together to make a double and he planted his lips on hers. "Daniel I seriously don't want to be late for your parents." Elodie protested as they pulled apart.

"We won't be. Besides, when they say half an hour, that really means an hour to Ella and Ivy so we're fine." Daniel grinned before he kissed her again and reached behind her back to unclip her bra. He pulled it off, and dropped his towel on the floor too so that he was completely naked before he slid her thong down her legs and threw that off of the bed too. He grabbed a condom from the stash that they'd hidden under his pillow just in case their parents came snooping, and then they made love in the form that their generation would call, a 'quickie'.

* * *

"Right, what plait do you want?" Sam asked as she came into Ella and Ivy's room wearing a floral sun dress that was a pale blue colour with roses dotted on it.

"Um... Waterfall?" Ella questioned.

"Sure, sit on the bed." Sam ordered so Ella did so and then handed her mother the small purse she had that was filled with hair grips and hairbands as well as her hair brush before Sam began to plait her daughters's hair. "Ivy, do you want me to do yours after?" Sam offered.

"Yes please."

"What one do you want?"

"Er... What's that one that's similar to French but it goes backwards?"

"Dutch." Ella stated.

"Yeah I can do that." Sam nodded.

* * *

**Sunday 14th August 2033**

Tom had driven back from Centre Parcs after a fantastic week's holiday but before he went back to his house, he was dropping Elodie off who had fallen asleep in the back seat next to her boyfriend.

"Did you wear her out last night?" Tom joked half heartedly as he pulled up outside Elodie's house and got out to help with the suitcase.

"Dad!" Daniel protested before he proceeded to wake his partner up. "Elodie... Earth to Elodie..."

"What?" Elodie grumbled without opening her eyes.

"You're home." He smiled as he tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear.

"Hi." Tom smiled as Elodie's mum came out of the house to greet her daughter.

"Hi. How was it?" She asked.

"Yeah it was great thanks. Though someone fell asleep on the way back." He smirked as Elodie slowly got out of the car and then had a big stretch but before she could finish, her mum had engulfed her into her arms.

"I missed you so much." Her mother whispered.

"Yeah, I missed you too." Elodie chuckled before she pulled apart. "Thank you very much Tom, I had a really nice time." She said gratefully.

"No problem."

* * *

Once the family had finished unpacking - though Ella, Tom and Daniel had just chucked their entire suitcase's contents into the washing basket because they couldn't be bothered to sort it out - they had a takeaway for dinner and Ella practiced her skills on her trampoline after being away from it for a week whilst Daniel went up to his bedroom to text his girlfriend about how he was missing her already. Sam and Tom just waited until their kids went to bed, before they ran a bath and shared it together to relax in.

"I love you." Tom whispered as Sam laid on top of him under the lukewarm water, though she was weightless so he just enjoyed the skin-to-skin contact with his wife.

"Mm, I love you too." Sam smiled as she laid her head on his chest, looking up at the ceiling. "We've got work tomorrow morning." Sam grumbled.

"We could, always pull a sickie." Tom suggested as he trailed his fingers in swirls around her abdomen, getting higher and higher until he caressed her breasts.

"Both of us sick, after a holiday? Get real." Sam scoffed.

"Well we could say we got sick on the last few days of our holiday and we're still recovering." Tom stated.

"We can't because I'm pretty sure Ella has been giving daily updates on Facebook of pictures of our holiday, and yesterday's pictures are going to involve all of us going out for dinner, and you eating an entire rack of ribs." Sam stated. "I think she's got Zoe, Fletch, Robyn and Cal as friends as well."

"Alright. We'll just stick to cubicles then and keep a low key so we don't get called into resus to avoid the mayhem."

"Shot gun working with Fletch." Sam said quickly.

"Fantastic." Tom said sarcastically. "If I get put with Robyn again, I will cry." Tom stated adamantly.

"I'll cry too. But it'll be out of laughter." Sam smiled before she stifled a yawn. "Can we just sleep in here? I can't be bothered to get out." Sam joked halfheartedly.

"Well, the sooner you get out, the sooner we can go and get comfy in bed." Tom stated.

"Fine." Sam huffed as she reluctantly climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her. She let her hair, which had been tied up in a tight bun to prevent it from getting wet, down and it cascaded over her shoulders whilst she watched Tom pull the plug out and then get out himself. Then they both got into bed and cuddled up under the covers before she got a good night's sleep.

* * *

**Coming up: The final chapter of The Kent Family where Sam sends her daughter off to university and so both of her offspring have flown the nest and Tom comes up with an idea to cheer her up.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review if you could :)**


	75. Chapter 75

**September 2037 **

Tom opened the door and let his wife step in the empty 4 bedroom house where three of the bedrooms were now empty.

"It's feels weird coming back here without Ella." Sam aired aloud. "Normally she comes with us and we drop Daniel off at Bristol but now she's gone there too."

"Well, we've known this day was coming for a long time." Tom said as he put his arms around her shoulders in the hallway.

"I know but..."

"I understand." Tom nodded as he pulled he into his chest and slowly rubbed his hands up and down her back. "Do you know what I think we should do?" Tom began.

"What?" Sam questioned as she pulled away from him slightly to see his face.

"Well, I was looking at the battersea website last night because I thought maybe we could get a new dog to make the house a little less quiet. But, there was on dog who I found who'd been on the website for ages, and there was one reason - from what I could tell - why she hadn't been rehomed." Tom explained.

"Why?"

"Because she's heavily pregnant. With 6 puppies." Tom grinned as Sam's face began to light up at the prospect of what he was suggesting. "It's up to you but we've always had the 4th bedroom empty and y'know, we would put her whelping box in there and we've whelped Shadow before so I'm sure we can do it again. Admittedly, that would be a lot of puppies but we could ask if Fletch wants one or two-" Tom was interrupted as Sam planted her lips on his before she pulled away and bit her bottom lip. "So you want to go and have a look at her?" Tom suggested.

"What now?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure they'll still be open. But are you definitely sure you want to-"

"Yes I'm bloody sure. Now go, quick. Before someone else gets her." Sam ordered as she shooed she husband out of the front door.

* * *

"Hello, how can I help you?" A receptionist smiled.

"We'd like to rehome Vanilla, the pregnant lab." Tom announced.

"Oh um, just let me go and get someone to talk you through the process." She smiled before she went through a side door. Sam smiled as she looked through the window along where the kennels were and there were barks every few seconds which she smiled at because it reminded her of Shadow and her other dogs.

"Hello, I'm Laura. I hear that you're interested in rehoming Vanilla?" A young woman questioned as she came out in blue polo shirt with Battersea on it, along with some black skinny jeans which were coated in white and blonde dog fur.

"Yeah, I saw her on the website." Tom stated.

"Well if you come through to my office, we can just have a little chat." She smiled as she walked Sam and Tom through the side door that she had come out of, and they went down and corridor and then into a rather small consultation office with a desk and three chairs in front of it. "Just take a seat for me. Right, now do you have any experience in whelping?" She asked.

"Yes, I had a border collie a few years ago. She fell pregnant and we're both doctors so we were pretty calm with delivering her 4 puppies." Sam explained. "Look, we have no interest in selling the puppies. We know that Labradors are big dogs but we've got a 4 bedroom house with just the two of us living in it, and a large garden. Plus we have a friend who we would give one or two of the puppies to after about 10-12 weeks once the dogs have had their vaccinations and they've been weaned." Sam said to show the worker that she was knowledgable about raising puppies.

"Well, you need to understand that, usually the rehoming process would take weeks. But Vanilla has only got about a week before she's due to give birth and we need her to be settled before she gives birth because we don't want her to give birth here. If she does then it to be difficult for her to be moved after because she won't want to be moved from her whelping box so what I'd like to do, is if you are both serious about taking on Vanilla, then I'll arrange a home visit for tomorrow to make sure that your home is suitable. And then if all goes well, you could possibly have Vanilla home by tomorrow evening." She explained.

"That'd be great." Sam nodded eagerly and Tom smiled as he was so grateful that his idea had cheered her up.

"Well, what times would you be available for a home visit? It would take around half an hour to an hour."

"From 5:30pm onwards." Sam stated.

"Alright. Well I'm Vanilla's main carer at the moment, so it'll probably be me that comes around tomorrow, just after 5:30pm, and if it's suitable, I'll drive back here, and take Vanilla to your home in the van. How far away is your place? Because she's not really suitable for long journeys at the moment. She hasn't been in a vehicle since she was brought in."

"We're only about a 15 minute drive away." Sam stated. "And out of curiousity, why was she brought here?" Sam asked.

"Well, the family she was with didn't want to give her up, but she fell pregnant and they knew that they couldn't afford her scans and such, plus they had a baby on the way so they had to give her up."

* * *

Soon, Sam and Tom gave their details and then Laura took them to see their potential new dog.

"Vanilla? Good girl." Laura said softly as she entered the enclosure where there was a dog pillow on the floor for a bed. A food and water bowl and a few toys scattered around. Sam smiled as she entered and saw that the golden retriever Labrador was lying on her side on the cool floor panting. "We've been keeping an eye on her rectal temperature which will drop just before she goes into labour so we know the panting is just because of the hot weather." She explained whilst Sam stepped in and knelt down on the floor.

"Wow, she's massive." Sam exclaimed after seeing the dog's enlarge stomach.

"Well, she has got 6 puppies in there." Laura smiled. "To be honest, I'm just so grateful you're rehoming her. We we're really getting worried about her having to give birth in here."

* * *

**One Week Later**

"37°." Sam announced after taking Vanilla's temperature. The golden Labrador was lying on her side in the whelping box that Tom had constructed and she had taken a shine to the box as soon as she was introduced into the new home.

"She's going to give birth either tonight or tomorrow morning." Tom concluded as he knelt down on the floor besides his wife. "You okay?" Tom asked as he gently rubbed the dog under her chin.

"I miss Ella and Daniel." Sam croaked as two tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Oh you soppy cow." Tom chuckled. "I was talking to Vanilla." He laughed as he pulled Sam into his embrace and held her tightly. "Just think, we don't have to worry about them walking in on us anymore." Tom stated. Suddenly, Vanilla let out a sorrowful whine and Sam pulled away from Tom to check that she was alright. "Are we gonna do this?" Tom asked as he held his hand out.

"Let's do this." Sam sniffed as she put her hand in his, and they both looked at the rescue dog whom they were about to assist to deliver 6 puppies that they would have to keep an eye on 24 hours a day. Just like when Tom had helped Sam to give birth in her own bed to their two children before they'd had to look after them every single minute of the day.

* * *

**The End!**

**I thought 75 was a good number to end it on because I have so many ideas for new fics!**** Thank you for reading this story, and I really appreciate those who had taken time to review :)**

* * *

**Here are the results for my poll, including guests' votes:**

**_-The Devoted Husband = 15 Votes_**

**-The Big C = 10 Votes**

**-Double Trouble = 9 Votes**

**-Mt Everest and Glastonbury = 8 Votes**

**-Lost But Not Forgotten and The Epidemic = 6 Votes**

**Thank you everyone for voting! I will be writing 'The Devoted Husband' first, but I'm going away for the next few days so I won't be focusing in on writing. ****I hope for it to be up by Wednesday or Thursday :)**


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